Rico and his posse run past Kowalski and Jeda. The scientists are still utterly stumped. Kowalski's flippers struggle to twist the device open, as he begins to make conversation with his new lab partner.

"So, you're the village's engineer?" He grunts.

"Yeah, I've always been interested in tech and inventing. Our voyagers used to bring back tech from all over the world, and well… I would try to replicate the ones I liked the most." She shrugs and gestures behind her.

Kowalski looks up and back to find a whole heap of makeshift items. Among those items include a microwave, laptop, TV, and other miscellaneous technologies inspired by the humans. These of course are all made out of local resources, like leaves, shells, and fish bones. When she leaps up to bring out a makeshift blender and presses a button, it begins to whirl. Fully functional.

"That's incredible. I'm not nearly that good." Kowalski is astonished and immediately humbled.

"Oh?" She waddles back, confused by what he is saying.

"No. Skipper inherited all of the good, heroic genes in the family." Kowalski goes back to working on the map. If he can't even figure this out, should he even consider himself to be a scientist? He slouches.

Jeda can't seem to figure out what Kowalski is trying to say. Here he is solving this map with her and yet he's doubting his abilities. His brothers seemed confident in him. She laughs. "You don't have to be heroic to be good. I mean, I think you're pretty cool."

He perks up. "You do?" Does she really think that? Cool? He hadn't heard anyone describe him as cool before.

She can tell that he's still mystified by the blank look in his eye. "I mean, you won't see me rushing into danger blindly, but I'm happy with myself. I may not be daring or brave, but I'm smart and funny and loyal. That's worth something, right? It's who I am, and I love it. Sure, there are moments when I feel doubt, but overall, I wouldn't want to be anyone else."

Kowalski tilts his head. "Huh, that's a fair point." But he doesn't let himself settle on the thought for too long. He shakes his head and slouches back down. Sure, the pep talk was nice, but she is just some stranger. She doesn't know anything about him. "But I don't see how I call myself a scientist when I can't even figure out this map."

In his slouching, he tosses the map halfheartedly out in front of him. It was a pitiful motion, as he was giving up all hope. That's why what would follow would be so peculiar to him. The map arches up into the air, barely leaving the ground. In its collision with the grass, a side of the object springs open. Neon, purplish light juts out.

Jeda and Kowalski leap up in their excitement. Facing each other, they shout. "Eureka!" Giddy smiles adorn their faces.

Kowalski turns and stands widely. "Give it up for trial and error!" He pumps his flippers in the air.

Jeda, with more poise, places a flipper on her hip and smirks. "I'd say give it up for you."

Kowalski would be blushing if penguins could blush. "You're right." A bashful smile comes to his face.

"Ooh! Try pulling on that piece right there." Jeda leans in. Now the hardest part was over. That's for sure.

As Skipper continues to take in the action of the village, he is unaware of the figure creeping up behind him. The hustle and bustle of the villager is something that he can barely conceive. A few hours ago, they were alone and now it seems they are a part of something bigger than themselves. He still doesn't know what to make of it. He hadn't felt like they belonged anywhere, at least not for a long time. Suddenly, he feels a presence behind him. Something cold falls around his neck.

He jolts into battle position. However, this doesn't faze Private who is standing on his tippy toes. "Skippah, I made you this necklace!" He cheers.

Skipper lowers his guard with a tinge of embarrassment. How could he let Private get the drop on him like that? Skipper looks down at the necklace, holding it up with his flipper. "Thank you, Private. It's uh – it's real nice."

Private smiles warmly. Then, the excitement hits him. "Ooh! Let me introduce you to all of my friends!" He takes ahold of Skipper. Dragging him by the flipper, he takes him off guard.

Now that the Penguins are all preoccupied, Koen makes his way over to Medika. He stands at her side stoically. As not to let others hear, he whispers to her. "Is it me or is there something not quite right about them?"

Medika is evidently much less suspicious. She chuckles, watching Private introduce Skipper to a group of quokkas. "They are a bit jumpy, but they did say that they're from the city."

A penguin waddles up to join the two and speaks with Medika. She listens intently, before turning forward again. "Attention, everyone!" All she has to do is raise her voice slightly. Everyone comes to a standstill and listens.

"Dinner is ready." She softens her voice and smiles.

As they all begin taking their places at the table, the team regroups. Jeda joins Kowalski as he meets back up with his brothers. Koen is not close behind Jeda, as he continues spying on their eccentric guests. The other villagers insist that the Penguins make their way to the head of the table. Medika sits down at the other end, talking her seat with regality and grace.

As they are preparing their plates, passing around a bowl of fish, Koen proceeds to prod. "So, how did you guys say you got here? I mean, some of our villagers like to travel but… all the way from New York? That's quite the distance."

Skipper leans back in his chair confidently. He spreads his flippers out behind his head, like he's lounging. Not the best table manners but it works for him. "Well, we aren't just any rookery of penguins. We are the elitest of the elite. A highly trained and thoroughly conditioned squad of penguins. We've been all over the world."

A little voice squeaks from a little penguin. "Really?"

Rico stands up and waves off the air nonchalantly. "Oh yeah."

Kowalski steps in, filling in the details. "It all started when we were in Antarctica and Shawl kidnapped our entire village."

Skipper in usual Skipper-fashion, shrugs like it was nothing. "We were the only four to escape."

"Then, we were captured by humans and placed in the Central Park Zoo." Private merrily joins in.

Kowalski reminisces. "We stayed for a considerable amount of time."

"But the great, wide world beckoned just beyond those zoo gates…" Skipper muses.

They have the audience in the palm of their flippers.

Skipper continues. "So, we split, commandeered a carrier ship, and sailed on back home to Antarctica."

"There wasn't much there." Private shakes his head.

Kowalski gestures outwards and moves his flippers, like he is guiding a ship. "From there, we took the cargo ship we hijacked and sailed it to the island of Madagascar."

Rico moves his flippers and gyrates his body. He begins to dance. "I like to move it, move it."

Skipper continues, he knows this story by heart. "Made friends with the locals."

Private hops and lands on one foot. He spreads his flippers out to imitate a plane. "And then, we flew to a wildlife reserve in Africa!"

The other penguins look at each other with astonishment. "Flew?" One repeats in befuddlement. Penguins can't fly.

Kowalski shrugs. "With an abandoned plane."

Rico goes soaring by. He glides in front of Kowalski, while making an engine sound. The crowd guffaws and some gasps emerge.

Still seated, Skipper extends and flexes his flipper. "Bada bing, bada boom. I get married, and we honeymoon in Monte Carlo."

Private bunches up. "But we attract the attention of a ruthless animal control officer who wanted to turn us into trophies!"

Rico tilts his head back and begins to laugh manically. "Mwhahahaha!" The terror silences the crowd. The story comes to a brief stop.

Skipper breaks the pause. "Meh, that one was the hippies' fault."

Kowalski clears his throat. That was a lot of excitement. "Needless to say, we got away."

Rico brushes his brow. "Phew!"

Private heightens the mood once again. "And we bought a circus!"

Skipper finally leaps to his feet. He begins to pace. "It's about then that we got the ransom from Shawl." He states with much blasé. "Turns out he's been chasing us our entire lives."

Another penguin can't help but chime in. "And he's never caught you?" The male penguin leans in towards the table.

"Well, no. There have been a few close calls recently." Kowalski has to think about it.

Skipper stops walking. "More or less."

Private winks. "And now, we're here until we can think of a plan to stop Shawl and save all the penguins!" He lifts his flippers for the big finish.

The crowd gasps. At the head of the table, the Penguins glance at one another as the table is still. No one makes a sound. They weren't sure what the villagers were thinking. One thing for sure, the pause was uncomfortable.

"They're amazing!" One voice crashes through. Erupting cheers follow.

"How'd you do all of that?" Another penguin asks.

Skipper taps his chin and thinks. "Well, it was a lot of hard work, a lot of teamwork, uh… -"

Private bursts in. "And our dad is the world's greatest penguin secret agent to ever live!"

The village goes silent again, and they all look at Private. Skipper gets nervous and very quiet.

"It's true! I guess it just runs in the family. Our mom used to tell us all kinds of stories from dad's days as a secret agent." Kowalski shrugs, pretending to be humble but feeling rather proud.

Some of the little ones exclaim their feeling of awe. "Cool!"

An adult penguin points and chuckles. "If anyone can rescue penguin-kind, it's you guys."

Skipper scratches the back of his head nervously. "Well, I don't know if I'd say –"

In his eagerness, Private exclaims. "Yes!"

Rico nods happily. "Uh huh!" He is barely controllable.

Kowalski puts his flippers on his hips as well. "Precisely! We were born from greatness!"

Skipper desperately tries to redirect the conversation to a less… uncomfortable, guilt-ridden topic. "That and the, uh, other stuff."

Medika sits for a while, examining them and all that they had just revealed. She puts a flipper to her chin. She takes a deep breath, before speaking. "So, you're planning on fighting Shawl and his horde?" Is she getting this right? She doesn't want to get anyone's hopes up for nothing.

"Yes, and we think that they have my parents, too. I – I was separated from them, when our village was attacked." Private steps forward and gestures to himself.

Kowalski clears his throat and adds an addendum. "Or our father – the world-class secret agent."

Medika is still very much intrigued. "It could be both even, if he's been after the four of you for all these years." She is now too inclining towards the table.

Kowalski straightens up. His tone is level, as Jeda stands up beside him. "Speaking of which, Jeda and I have deciphered the map."

"Attaboy, Kowalski!" Skipper slaps him on the back.

Medika stands up and begins to pace herself. "Please, share with us what you've found."

Jeda and Kowalski share an anxious glance, before Kowalski holds out the map. Jeda's flippers unfold and unravel pieces of the machinery, as more purple light begins to spill out. All eyes are completely transfixed on them. Suddenly, a purple hologram emanates from the sphere. It shoots up into the air and hovers above them. The hologram forms the shape of a world map. Circles with X's on them are quite heavily sprinkled throughout the continents. Only one circle on the map remains uncrossed. It is the one directly over their location – in southern Australia.

"This isn't the best of news." Kowalski narrates the obvious.

There is a sickening silence. It hangs in the atmosphere like a noxious fog.

Medika states calmly. "So, we are the last ones…"

Private, much like everyone else, stares up at the grim odds. For a second, it really does startle him. However, he knows that he has to keep fighting for his family and for his parents. That's what Skipper would do. He speaks up, gaining a new found courage. "Sure, things look bleak but we're going to save them all. Our Skippah's the best, right guys?" He turns to Kowalski and Rico for affirmation. Skipper would certainly be proud of his courage now.

"Indubitably!" Kowalski answers with morale.

Skipper is unable to respond. He is still hyper-focused on the map. His eyes are wide and his beak is hanging agape. This isn't good. This really isn't good. All he can think about is the horror that thousands of penguins had experienced during capture and the likelihood that he and his brothers would endure the same fate. His courage and carefree lifestyle have gotten him through a lot of scrapes, but not this one. He can't pull this one off.

Not getting the response he expected, Private elbows his leader. "If anyone can do it, it's us! Right, Skippah?"

Skipper takes a long look at Private. The young soldier is smiling up at him with such pride. This was the most courage he has seen Private exude. The boy is assured and nearly glowing. What can he do? Now that he doesn't feel the same. He had always been the team's source of inspiration and moxie, but now all he can do is stare at Private. Should he tell them the truth? Now, in front of all these penguins?

No, he can't fail his team now; he can't let Private down. Quick to regain his confident swagger, he tucks his flippers behind his back and puffs out his chest. "Of course, Young Private!" He just has to get out of his own head.

"And just think, Skippah." Private waddles over so that he is directly in front of Skipper now. He grabs onto Skipper's flippers and gives them a squeeze. "Maybe, if my parents are there, your mum will be too!"

With those words, Skipper's smile dissipates. It becomes a struggle to uphold even a fake, much sadder one. "Yeah."

"Well, we wish you the best of luck in your fight. We'll offer you whatever resources we can give." Medika nods slowly. She suddenly goes from nurturing to reassured and militant.

Koen stands up decisively. "We will fight with you."

One by one the penguins stand up and join in Koen's call. "Yes! This is our fight too!" One penguin announces. Pretty soon, most of the village is in agreement and rallied.

While this is an inspiring sight for Kowalski, Rico, and Private, Skipper has a much different experience. Worry fills Skipper's eyes as scans the crowd. He is immediately drawn to the chicks looking up at their parents. Many of the adults are agreeing to join the fight. The sight causes a knot in Skipper's stomach. He forces himself to look away.

His eyes scan down but find an unexpected sight. Private is still standing in front of him. However, he is different. It's as if he's a hatchling again. The sight startles Skipper.

"Skippah?" A very young Private tilts his head up just like he used to.

Feeling incredulously overwhelmed, Skipper takes several steps back. He tries to regain his composure and shakes it off.

Private, now back to normal. "Skippah? Are you all right?" There is deep concern in his eyes, as he steps back towards Skipper.

"Yeah, I just need to lay down for a little bit. It's been a long day." Skipper tries to hide his stunned face as he holds his head. Beginning to turn away from his team, he does not have an exit strategy but he knows he must get away. He can no longer handle this anymore. He was going to crack under the pressure if he could not leave soon.

Kowalski intervened as well. He hardly ever saw Skipper like this. "Are you sure?" Is he sick?

Skipper attempts to force another smile. "Yeah, totally. I'm right as rain. Just need to get some shuteye."

Private whimpers concern for his brother. "But you'll miss the rest of the party."

Skipper is doing his best to get away. He turns around and takes a step towards the edge of the table. "It's fine. Really."

"Aw man!" Rico sighs disgruntledly. He wants his brothers to be able to enjoy all the festivities. If Skipper isn't going to be there, he's not sure if he wants to party either.

Just as Rico begins pleading and Skipper is nearly making his way to the ground, a retched scream releases from the crowd.

The Penguins turn fast. At the very edge of the village, where they themselves had stood hours ago, is Leo and Aspen. They are accompanied by the rest of the seals. Gee, had they hit the jackpot. Not only have they found the four penguins Shawl wants most but they have managed to locate the last remaining rookery as well. Leo and Aspen leer down at the frantic penguins who are more like sitting ducks.

"Oh, are we late to dinner?" Leo feigns some social decorum.

Aspen licks her chops, looking over the crowd of penguins. "I'm sure we can find something on the menu to our liking."

Koen keeps his stern demeanor. He commands the other villagers. "C'mon! We have to stand up and fight for ourselves. Let's show them what we're made of!" He points to the seals, signaling the other penguins to advance.

Jeda is not far behind. She is swiftly at his side, confirming the sentiment. "We're not going down without a fight."

Leo turns to Aspen with devilish smile. "Oh, a revolt, huh?"

"This shouldn't last long." She retorts.

In response to Aspen's snide remark, the penguins gather themselves and prepare to fight. Most of the villagers, the quokkas included, rush to grab spears, boomerangs, and other miscellaneous weapons. Jeda leads a group in raiding her heap of inventions for anything useful. While most are readying themselves, some attend to the chicks. They hurry to rush them inside of the huts, despite some resistance from the little ones who want to join in. At the head of all of this stands Koen at the ready to give orders.

Skipper looks on. This is a disaster. His thoughts are interrupted, as he feels something grab his flipper.

"Come with me." Medika urges from underneath the table.

She proceeds to guide them stealthily past the huts. It is of the utmost importance that the five of them remain unseen. The Penguins follow her rather unquestioningly. Skipper is too stunned to really question anything at the moment, and the others assume she has a plan. She would do what is best for her village no doubt. They follow her, hastily creeping through until they reach where the village dissolves into brush.

"You can't be captured. We'll distract them." She whispers to them, before turning to leave abruptly.

It's as if Skipper comes to his senses. He snaps out of it. "What? No! This is what we do. We're the team that's supposed to be saving you." It doesn't make sense. He and his team should be the ones fighting out there.

Medika tries to hush him. She grabs his flippers. What can she do to make him see that this is the best thing for everyone? If these penguins are truly who they say they are, they are their only chance. "You will you not be able to save us, if you're captured."

Private calls out to Skipper for guidance. None of this feels right. Skipper would surely know what to do. "Skippah?"

That couldn't be farther from the truth. He looks at Medika and then, back at the village. The seals have made it halfway through at this point. Many huts have been demolished, leaving debris to cover the table and main pathway. There also seem to be a significantly fewer number of penguins fighting. At least two seals are already beginning to lug filled nets back towards the beach. It is utter chaos.

Skipper stares back her wide-eyed. He stammers. "Ma – uh, I mean – Medika, we can't just leave." He shakes his head.

She squeezes his flippers in hers, trying to settle him. Careful to leave her words with him, she speaks resolutely. "Please, you have to go! We will be fine. You four are going to save us all."

There is nothing he can do. While her words were comforting, Skipper knows that he must look inside himself to regain his self-assurance. "Okay." He concedes.

One of the villagers cries out. "Medika!"

At the beckoning of her village, she departs with one final farewell. "We stand with you. Be careful in the rest of your journey."

Skipper turns back to face his team. His façade is back. "Let's roll, men!" He places his flippers on his hips.

So, they were retreating? Giving up and letting the seals capture these penguins? It didn't sit right with Kowalski. "But –"

Skipper puts a flipper to Kowalski's beak. "You heard what the chief said. It's our job to get outta here so we can save all penguin-kind."

Just as Skipper has rallied his men, shadows loom over them. They can feel the hot breath on their backs. A pungent odor fills the air, as they realize they hadn't escaped just yet.

"Well, look-y what I found. The very four that Shawl wants most." One seal looks at their partner.

"Let's go!" Skipper shouts to his team. A pinch of panic invades his voice.

The Penguins bound forward, just missing the snapping jaws of the aquatic predator. They take off as fast as their tiny feet could take them. Sure, leopard seals were built to move faster in water but on land they also had quite the size advantage as well.

"Leo! Aspen! They're over here!" One of the seals shouts back. Finally, this whole rounding-up-penguins-business could be put to bed. Soon, they would be set for life.

The Penguins take off running. As they pass through the forest floor, they hear the sound of shrubs and plants being crushed and thrown under the furious seal's stride. The treetops obscure a decent amount of light, but there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel… or forest's edge. Eventually, they start crashing towards an open field.

The grass is tall. Certainly, if they take a step further, they could get lost in the labyrinth of dry, grass blades. There could be anything hiding in the undergrowth. Not to mention, it would be easy for them to lose track of one another and get separated. That is a risk Skipper isn't willing to take, especially not after the blow to his ego. He can hear the seals slapping the ground from behind them. They're getting closer. Is he really questioning himself? After all this time, now is the time he decides to have a major life crisis? Seems awful inconvenient.

In the nick of time, a herd of hopping animals make their way across the plain. Kangaroos! Yes, it is perfect. There is a herd of kangaroo hoping by. The Penguins stop short so that they do not get trampled.

Skipper whistles and holds up a flipper. "Taxi!"

One of the kangaroos comes to a halt. Though it is a result of its pure confusion. What is a taxi? This gives the Penguins enough time to leap inside its pouch. Poking out from the pouch, the penguins hold on tightly.

Skipper strikes the side of the marsupial. "Yah!" This mobilizes it to take off in a dash. Now, that's how you hail a kangaroo.

Private looks up at the kangaroo, who is distracted by the field in front of it. "Thank you" He kindly pats the kangaroo's pouch.

Now having reached the edge of the forest as well, the seals look on in confusion. Nonetheless, with everything these penguins had put them through nothing could really surprise them anymore. One shrugs. They ought to give kangaroo riding a try as well. The seals pounce on a kangaroo, hoping for a ride on its back. However, this results in the kangaroo collapsing under the seal's shared weight.

"Oy!" The frustrated kangaroo angrily eyes the seals that now lay on top of it. It begins tapping its paws on the dusty ground, losing patience as the seals back away apologetically.

Looking back on the fiasco of his foes, Skipper lets out a chuckle. Too busy with the sight, he completely misses what is in front of him. The kangaroos ahead are beginning to slow down. However, the one they are riding on, is not so graceful. Stopping suddenly, the kangaroo nearly falls into the river that is straight ahead.

The momentum sends the Penguins flying. Now this is an adventure. They land shortly on what appears to be a dark, mossy log.

Skipper stands up and dusts himself off. "Well, at least we landed on this log."

Private is less thrilled. "It's a little rough on the bum, though." He rubs his sore rear.

Rico is lying flat down on the log as he has landed. Looking utterly exhausted, he looks up and nods in agreement. "Uh-huh."

Luckily, Kowalski notices something that the others do not. "Skipper…" He alerts his leader with uncertainty.

Skipper turns to meet his gaze. Turns out there are a lot of logs floating along beside them in the river. Green, bumpy logs. The problem starts to reveal itself as the logs start peaking up further from the murky waters. Yellow eyes emerge slowly, followed by grinning, pointy jaws. These aren't logs after all. They all soon zero in on the Penguins and come swimming their way.

Out of the corner of Kowalski's eye, he sees the seals have made their way to the river bank. There is no turning back. The only option is forward and the only way forward is through.

Skipper deems there is one penguin for the job. "Rico, it's time to wrangle some gators."

Rico cracks his knuckles and lets out a mischievous laugh. "Hehehe!" He whips out a lasso.

"Actually, they're crocodiles." Kowalski smiles, feeling as though he is contributing to the conversation. If these weren't crocodile-infested waters, Skipper would be tempted to push him in.

As the crocodiles lazily float on, Rico extends the lasso and begins roping them. One by one, Rico is sending them through the air and over to the other side of the river bank. The seals just stare on in horror at the strength of this miniscule penguin. Private, Kowalski, and Skipper sit back and watch the show. Lastly the only crocodile remotely near them is the one they are standing on. It struggles as Rico ties and twirls the lasso into a muzzle and bridle for the beast.

When he stomps and pulls back on the reigns, the crocodile picks up the pace and starts swimming in the direction of the current. As they go cruising downstream, it appears that this river empties out into the bay. That isn't the only discovery though, as the seals have mustered up the courage to follow them. And it isn't just two this time. It seems they brought several reinforcements.

Now out on the bay, Kowalski calls for Skipper's attention. "Skipper, look!"

"The opera!" Private exclaims. They all look to the Sydney Opera House. Private always has been a fan of the arts.

Kowalski facepalms. "No, the boats!" He gestures off to the boats that are aligned along the dock.

"Great, nautical fortune!" Skipper cries in delight.

"Where will we go?" Private ponders. He makes a good point. No matter where they seem to have gone, the seals have always managed to be right on their tail feathers.

Skipper wraps a flipper around Private, far less concerned with the big picture at the moment. "Somewhere beyond the sea, Young Private."

Rico releases control of the crocodile, as they near a sailboat. As soon as they are close enough, they leap onto it and begin sailing off. Despite the fully functioning engine, the Penguins take it upon themselves to grab ahold of the decorative oars and start rowing.

From the dock, two well-dressed men notice the misfortune. One shouts, with his hands on his head. "Crikey! Those birds nabbed my boat!"

"I don't think you'll be getting the security deposit back on that one, mate." The other plainly states.

While Kowalski and Private take over rowing on either side of the boat, Skipper busies himself with finding a rather nice pair of aviator sunglasses in a compartment. He places them over his eyes, as Rico lathers up on sunscreen.

As Private continues rowing, a force from below tugs at his oar. "We've got company!" He whimpers and continues to play tug-a-war with the seal below.

Skipper rushes over, as the seal sinks its teeth deeper into the wood of the oar. "Hmm…" He thinks for a second. Then, he proceeds to take his own oar and whack the seal over the head. After a few smacks, it lets go.

Just then, from the other side of the boat, a seal lunges at Kowalski. Kowalski dodges. He responds with a swing of his oar. It connects with the seal. The beast goes flying back into the water with a splash.

"Gentlemen, commence operation: Whack-a-seal!" Skipper announces.

Another jumps out of the water. With a thud, the slick behemoth makes its way onto the back of the boat. Rico answers this time. He takes his oar and hits it on top of the head. No use. He slaps the seal's chin up from below. Then, from side to side. The seal sways back and forth, before pummeling back into the ocean.

Then it seems as though it is Skipper's turn again to take the defensive. A seal hops on to the boat next to him. By that point, Skipper is in battle position. As they stare at each other, posturing for a fight, the seal gets an idea. She dips her head deeper into the boat and grabs a spare oar in her mouth.

"En guard!" Skipper challenges the pinniped. He is never one to run away from a quarrel.

The seal and Skipper go on fencing with their oars. Back and forth, they back advances. Each time it ends in a clashing of the already-damaged oars. Skipper taunts the predator. "C'mon, I could do this all day!"

With that, a seal jumps out the water. In a flash, it scoops Skipper up in its mouth. It appears their fencing match was nothing but a clever diversion. Skipper, now being held sideways, regrets his comment. A squeeze from the seal causes the sunglasses to fall off his face. He watches them fall into the water rushing by.

"Well, that's hardly fair." Skipper complains.

Just as the seal is about to hop back in the water with its catch, a flash of black and white swings straight down at them. Rico, gripping onto the unraveled sail, sends a kick to the side of the seal's face. This knocks the seal back into the water. The force of Rico's attack allows Skipper to wriggle loose. He isn't in the air for long, as Kowalski and Private are there to pull him back onto the ship.

"Looks like we are seal-free, boys." Skipper summates.

They break out into a celebration of high ones. Private once again is left standing outside of the party. Instead of facing his brothers, he is still staring back at the land that keeps getting smaller.

"But all of those nice villagers! They're all being loaded onto the ship!" Private points desperately.

Rico and Kowalski join him on that end of the boat. It is true. Aspen and Leo are proudly loading netfuls of penguins onto a ship of their own. Based on the number of nets, it takes nearly an assembly line of seals to toss their treasures off to one another. Each net is carelessly burled into the vessel.

Kowalski sighs with disappointment. "Oh, no."

Rico whimpers. "Our friends…"

Skipper doesn't hesitate. He shakes his head and continues rowing. He can't think about it. He can't bring himself to do it. "We have to keep moving."

"But Skippah –" Private feels somewhat betrayed. This doesn't seem like something his Skipper would do at all.

Skipper reassures Private but sounding snippier that intended. "They'll be fine, soldier." He continues rowing harder, as Kowalski and Rico exchange glances before joining in. "Right now, the best thing we can do for them is regroup and come up with a new plan."

Eventually, Private follows orders. Though, it is despite his better judgement. As decisively as Skipper spoke, his words do not reflect his true feelings at all. With every fiber in his being, he wants to turn back and take on those seals. However, after seeing that map, he realizes: they are no match for them. He can't risk putting his brothers in danger anymore. Medika and the others would be fine. She has to do what is best for her penguins, and he has to put his brothers first. He glances back at the sight wistfully, before continuing to row.

[To Be Continued]