Chapter 2

"Mum!" Private cried, running with his flippers out for a hug. "Mum!"

"Oh Private!" His mom shouted, running to him. The penguins hugged affectingly.

"Oh mum," Private sniffed. "I haven't seen you in forever. I was so scared, I had to be separated from my friends, but now I see you here and…" Private couldn't hold in any longer, he burst out crying on his mom's shoulders. "I missed you so much!"

"There, there baby." Private's mom comforted her long lost son. "I'm here, we're together again, it'll be okay." Private pulled back. He looked at his mom. He wiped his last tears with his flipper.

"Why did you leave me? Don't you love me anymore?" His mom hushed him.

"Don't say that." She shushed. "Of course I love you Private. I love you with all my heart."

"Really?" Private looked puzzled. "Then why did you leave me?"

"Private, don't you remember?" Private shook his head.

"Remember? Remember what? What happened to us mum? I- I don't understand."

"Oh Private, we got separated."

"Separated?"

"Yes, when you were two months old, you were transferred to the Central Park Zoo."

"Why don't I remember this then?"

"You were a chick, just a baby. It has been so long, that you probably forgotten about it."

"Oh, but I can never forget about you mum. You're my mother, how can I forget?" Private hugged his mom. "I love you." Private's mom hugged him back.

"I love you too sweetheart. I can never ever forget about you. You're special to me, you're my little boy." Son and mother continued hugging.

Rico resurviced, and went ashore. As he shook his tail feathers, he looked at Lucile.

"Awe!" He sighed dreamily. He looked around to see if he could give her something out here, but he couldn't. He thought about regurgitating up a box of chocolates, but he decided against it. It might gross her out, and she might not want him then.

"Awe!" Rico said disappointed. Then he decided that he didn't need to give her anything, just go up there and tell him how he felt about her. He puffed up his chest, looking serious. He went over to her. The Rockhopper saw where Rico was headed and raced past.

"He he!" He rammed into Rico." "Get lost, loser!" Rico almost lost balance, but caught himself, and continued waddling to her. Lucile looked up as the two got closer.

"Oh hello Rocky." She greeted the Rockhopper. Rocky patted his hair down, and acted real hansome.

"Why hello babe!" He said. "My you look beautiful as you do everyday." Lucile laughed as Rico caught up. He rammed Rocky aside.

"Hey!" Rocky snapped.

"H-h-hi." Rico waved to her with his love stuck face.

"Hi again." The gentoo responded. "I don't think I ever got your name. What is it?"

"Ri..Ri…" Rico then shook it off, and got into reality. He cleared his throat and bowed to her. "Rico." The gentoo giggled. Rocky just glared.

"Rico?" She asked, holding his flippers in her's. "That's a good name. Rico, I love it!" She then left. Rico once again, sighed dreamily.

Rocky pushed him down. He stepped on his belly before he could get up.

"This is the last time I'm going to say it so listen carefully!" He warned. He then got in Rico's face. "Stay away from my girl, capeech?!" Rico sighed dreamily again and then noticed the situation he was in. He stood up as Rocky put his foot back. Rico looked serious. He shouted something gibberish, shaking his head madly. Rocky just stared at him, and then stepped up to him, looking like he meant business.

"Well if it's a fight you want," Rocky threatened. "It's a fight you'll get!" He pounded his flipper, and went away.

Rico narrowed his eyes as he departed, getting madder by the second. He called gibberishly again, and huffed away.

Kowalski and Clarence laid on the grass, their flippers behind their heads, gazing up at the stars.

"There's Canis Major." Kowalski pointed the constellation shaped like a big dog in the sky.

"And there's Canis Minor." Clarence pointed out the small dog constalation. "Just like best friends." He looked towards Kowalski. "Side by side, inseparable."

"Yeah." Kowalski sighed as he gazed at the stars. "I so miss my old friends." Clarence felt bad for him. He laid back down.

"Cheer up." He said. "You have a new friend, me."

"Yeah, I know." Kowalski agreed. "But I still miss them you know. I wonder what they're doing; I hope they're all right."

"I bet they'll all fine."

"Yeah." Then Kowalski changed the subject. He sat up and looked at Clarence.

"So, ready for tomorrow and show all the zoo animals our brilliance?"

"Yeah." Clarence sighed. The koala then went back to reality. "Wait, what?"

"Show them what we invented and stuff. It'll let us know that we succeeded with our works." Clarence rapidly shook his hands back and forth, shaking his furry head.

"No, no! They don't have to know."

"Of course they do. Everybody has to know our accomplishments; we can't keep it a secret forever."

"Yes we can, sure we can!"

"Now look, if Edison kept his invention a secret, we wouldn't have all the technology we have today. It's amazing that this all started with a simple light bulb that changed everyone's lives."

"True, but I want all my inventions kept a secret." Kowalski looked at Clarence in shock.

"You do, why?" Clarence turned to Kowalski.

"Look Kowalski, nobody knows that I invent stuff. Not even my parents."

"Nobody knows?"

"Nope, and I intend to keep it that way."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid animals will laugh at me. Come on, an animal scientist? It's impossible to even think about it."

"No it's not! Look Clarence, you got to trust somebody. If nobody knew what those scientists were doing, the world would've been very different then it is today. Look Clarence, we need scientists like you to make the world a better, advanced place. We need inventors with creative minds." Clarence thought this through.

"Does this really make yogurt?" Asked a young hippo the next morning. The two were showing the other animals Clarence's inventions.

"Of course it does." Clarence replied, tapping the machine. He then got a cup, turned a wheel on the machine with yogurt coming out. He stopped when the yogurt reached a good amount, and place it on the ground for the hippo. The hippo kicked his back legs in the air with excitement.

"Awesome!" The hippo quickly gobbled down the yogurt, licking his lips. "Thanks Mr. Clarence sir. You are the best!"

"Why thank you my good child." Clarence responded. "Eat up down. That yogurt will melt with the sun's humidity." The hippo kept on eating. The Hippo's parents smiled proudly at their happy son.

"Look mom, dad!" A happy little elephant replied with a peanut in her trunk. She ran to her parents. "That machine of Mr. Clarence's opened a sack of peanuts! Now, we can eat as many peanuts as we want without hunting them down!"

"That's wonderful dear." Her mom replied. "Now what do we say to Mr. Clarence?" The child elephant turned around.

"Thanks Mr. Clarence." She said, and then put it in her mouth to munch on. Clarence chuckled.

"No sweat my dear." He said. "Always glad to help."

"Well you were right Kowalski," Clarence told him that evening when all the animals had gone back to their habitats. "Today has been a marvelous success. I'm going to show my inventions to all of my friends from now on."

"Now that's the sprit." Kowalski told him. They continued looking up at the stars.