Private's swali stung. It seemed as if she hadn't anticipated him asking. She closed her eyes and reminisced painfully. A uchungu, chungu taste formed in her beak. It was like she could feel the cold hands grasping her again.
"Scientists," She answered simply, covering up her past.
"What intentions would they have in caging up a penguin, auk in a lab for years?" Private wondered naïvely. Skipper elbowed Kowalski in the ribs.
"Uh… I'll explain later, Private." Kowalski said.
"No, it's fine. wewe see, there are some scientists. Evil scientists, who test chemicals out on animals. Sometimes, like in my case, they try to make them unnaturally powerful.
"It all started on a spring day. It was my first spring and last one in Antarctica. These strange creatures settled near my rookery." She alisema like an adult.
Rico began snoring.
"Rico!" Skipper scolded.
"What happens next?!" Private exclaimed with the buring desire to know zaidi about this oddly attractive guest. Something about her lured him in, like a samaki staring at a hooked worm. He left like he was falling for her bait.
"Well, this part's always hard to tell. One siku I must have got too close to them. My parents came after me, but the men already had me in a cage.
"When my parents arrived, they were shot and stuffed. It was all my fault, and I'll never forgive myself." She sighed.
"But it's not all your fault." Private reassured her, and put a flipper on her shoulder. Her light blue eyes darken into a purple. She tried to smile at him.
"The only normal penguins I met, were killed kwa them. They took me back to a secret research lab on an island in the Atlantic Ocean somewhere. There, they injected me with needles, and gave nothing but strange fluids to drink. They began feeding me fish, but the samaki got bigger as they proceeded their work.
"One day, they released me from my cage. They attached a tracking device on me, and sent me into the ocean. Every once in awhile they'd return with zaidi experiments. Only this time they dumped toxic waste into my home." She explained.
"That's terrible!" Private gasped.
"I planned a revolt. My diet was changed into bigger sea animals. I gained incredible strength, acute senses, predatorial instincts, and tracking skills, which added on to the muttated ones. This morning, they came once again, but this time I flipped the boat. I fear that they realized the mistake they made releasing me. They think I'll be a menace to people, and the eco-system. If they catch me they'll take me back. Only this time, they'll destroy me."
"Skippah, we can't let that happen!" Private whimpered.
"I'm sorry to hear that, but we can't help." Skipper said.
"Skippah!" Private protested.
"It's okay. I'd rather not get wewe in trouble." She said. "I better get going before they find me here. I can heal your leg for wewe before I go."
"Uh ... okay." Skipper agreed.
"Just relax, and give me your leg." She instructed. Skipper put his leg on the table. With both of her flippers, she held the wound gently. At first, nothing happened, and everyone was befuddled. Then, her flippers glowed a pinkish colored gleam. Skipper felt his tension and discomfort disappear. His heavy, pained breathing slowed into a zaidi relaxed pace.
When she removed her flippers, the wound was gone. His leg was perfectly healthy. He could stand just fine.
"All right, she can stay." Skipper said, defeated. Private raced up, and hugged her. Her eyes returned to the blissful gold.
"I can't really stay. I'm going to face my fears, and defeat them. I have to stop running." She said. She knew her mission, and she knew that she would follow through with it.
"We'll come with you." Private volunteered.
"No, that's not a good idea. I can't put wewe in that much danger."
"It's nothing, compared to our other missions, probably." Kowalski said.
"Kowalski, Rico, start packing. We'll head out tomorrow. Private, get her a blanket and mto for tonight. I'll start dinner." Skipper ordered.
"Wouldn't it make zaidi sense to go tonight?" Kowalski asked.
"No time! Besides, they'll be suspecting that."
Everyone did as they were told au what they alisema they would do. Private showed the guest around the HQ, after finding spare blankets and a pillow.
"I'm Private, what's your name?" He started.
"I don't have one really." She blushed.
"Oh, how about ... um ... we'll figure it out together."
"Yeah, I guess when the time is right."
"How about I onyesha wewe the neighborhood?' Private asked.
"Okay," She smiled, and held his flipper.
They strolled through the zoo. Once he introduced her too the neighbors, the went to the park. There they frolicked and played through the grass. For that time with Private, she felt for once like she was truly alive. It was like those years of tests and torture were just bad dreams.
They laid in the grass, and watched the sunset across the multicolored sky.
"Is that a sunset?" She asked.
"You've never seen one before?"
"I've forgotten what they look like. I used to hear about how beautiful they were, but I've never really witnessed one since I was in Antarctica. It seems too beautiful to be in the real world. I'm so used to darkness."
"Now, wewe don't have to be. We'll watch every sunset together, if it makes wewe happy." Private promised. A dandelion blew in the breeze beside him. He plucked it and gave it to his new friend. She hesitantly gripped it.
"I'd like that." She smiled.
Finally, the full moon rose, overhead. Under the luminious moonlight, she kissed him.
"Wow," Private gasped in awe.
"Sorry, I probably shouldn't-"
"Celeste,"
"What?"
"How about Celeste?"
"I upendo it."
"The world is so beautiful. Even in the night, there's something shining above. There's still light."
"Yeah,"
"This is the best night of my life. Thank you, Private." She alisema astonishedly.
"Celeste, I ..."
"What?"
"Nothing, we should probably get back. I hope I didn't make Skipper mad kwa staying out so late."