It was a warm summer evening in the Central Park Zoo. The sun was now only a semi-circle peaking over the horizon. All was peaceful, a nice cool breeze swung through the trees and gates of the habitats, and colorful butterflies flew through the air. It all would've remained peaceful if a certain quadrant of penguin, auk commandos hadn't chosen today to test Kowalski's new invention.
"Okay Kowalski, what do we have this time?" Skipper asked his lieutenant. The four of them were on their habitat's island.
"Skipper, I have invented..." He got ready to rip the sheet from over-top his latest invention. "The penguin, auk Jetpack 3000!" He pulled the sheet from the invention to reveal a backpack shaped invention with large two-liter soda's on the side. Along with foam-finger wings to help with stability. "PJ for short." Kowalski alisema with a smug smile.
"What was wrong with our other jet packs?" Private asked.
"Private, those little things were only able to clear a 45 mile radius! This one will go way farther!" Kowalski explained.
"Oh, really, Kowalski? Have wewe taken any safety precautions before this thing gets airborne?" Skipper asked suspiciously.
"Pft! Of course!" Kowalski exclaimed. Skipper looked at him as if to say, 'Show me.' Kowalski sighed and turned it around. "Look, there's a built in parachute here in case something goes wrong. Which it won't. And there's no possible way it can explode. There's nothing here that could react with each other to create any kind of spark. Satisfied?"
Skipper rubbed his chin. "Okay. So who's gonna test it?" Private began backing toward the hatch; Skipper noticed him trying to slip away. "Private! You're up!" Private sighed.
After strapping him in and putting a kofia, chapeo on his head and goggles on his face, they prepared for launch. "Kowalski...are wewe sure I'll be safe?" Private asked worriedly.
"You'll be fine! Just hang on, and be sure to keep your balance." Kowalski encouraged.
"How fast does this thing go?" Private asked.
"Private, I've done every calculation. Twice, in fact! I assure you, nothing will go wrong! Any zaidi questions?"
"Um...just one...is the first aid kit on hand?"
Kowalski laughed. "First aid kit? Private, trust me, will you?"
"S-Sure, Kowalski." Private alisema a little shaky.
Kowalski sighed. "Alright. Let's get ready. Now when I say so, pull this string." Kowalski instructed putting a string in his flipper.
"Okay..." Private replied.
Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico stepped back. "Okay, Private! Liftoff on three!" Kowalski started. "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three!"
Private closed his eyes and pulled the string. The PJ ignited and lifted off into the sky at a great speed. Private cried out in terror. The PJ was moving too fast for him to gain control and stability. Skipper and Rico gave Kowalski a hard stare. Kowalski smiled nervously. "Well...how 'bout that?"
Skipper rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's go after him."
Meanwhile, Private was whizzing around the zoo, completely out of control as the sun barely dipped below the horizon...the time when nocturnal marsupials wake up from their siku slumber.
Leonard the koala woke with a yawn. "Ah, that was a good nights'-" He cocked his ear. "What in the-" He turned around to see Private flying straight for him.
"Look out! I can't steer!" Private called. But it was too late. He ran into Leonard and was now carrying him on his flight.
"Aahh! Slow down! Take me back!" Leonard cried clinging on to Private.
"I can't! It's moving too fast!" Private called back. Now the PJ was taking them over the zoo walls and into the city.
"Make it stop! Please make it stop!!" Leonard had his eyes clamped shut, not daring to look down au at how fast they were moving.
"I'm trying!" He pulled another string, which activated the parachute. However, the speed of the PJ was so fast that the parachute jerked back upon catching wind, causing Leonard to lose his grip. "Leonard!!" Private called, but his reflexes weren't fast enough to grab his paw before he fell.
Leonard flailed his arms through the air as he made his descent. Luckily, he fell into an old junkyard, which provided him with a soft old kitanda to land on. He bounced a couple of times before landing on the plantless ground; only a few weeds stuck up here and there. Leonard got to his feet with a frustrated grunt and dusted the dirt out of his fur, then stretched his limbs to try to help with the soreness. He looked around, unsure of where he was supposed to go. wewe couldn't see the exit from his position. "Oh, those penguins so owe me!" He muttered to himself. He started off in one direction, in tafuta of the exit.
It was dark now. The eerie moon began its ascent into the sky. An old swingset creaked and moaned in the distance. Leonard could hear his moyo beating as it gradually began to pound and the dry, warm dirt beneath his feet crunched slightly with every step. A sudden flapping sound above his head made him jump, though it was only a crow. Leonard took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "It's okay, Leonard, you're okay. There's nothing to fear...I hope...." He tried to encourage himself, but found it difficult to remain calm in such a place and such a time. He continued walking until he reached the edge of the junkyard. He had hopes of climbing over the fence, but it was too tall and topped with barbed wire. So instead, he decided to scale the side until he found the exit. He'd walked about five steps when a crunch was heard under his feet. He looked down and cried out in shock, stumbling back and falling to the ground at the sight. It was a rib. Blood was smeared on it. Fresh blood. He rubbed the sole of his foot on the ground in attempt to rub it off and became very nauseous. He then heard something low, but hard to make out in the near distance.
"H-Hello?" Leonard called softly. He got to his feet in hopes of finding someone who could help him find his way out of here. He slowly walked through a path between tall piles of tires, kitanda frames, broken televisions, and other junk. "S-Skipper? Is that you?" He asked quietly, though something was telling him otherwise. Finally he saw something moving around the bend. He cautiously peeked around to see a rather skinny pit bull. He eyed it curiously and wondered what it was doing here, but what he saw inayofuata answered his question. The pit ng'ombe was backing a smaller stray dog into a corner. The dog whimpered and cowered, but the pit ng'ombe was unfazed and had no remorse for its fear. Leonard tried to turn away, but found himself unable to for he was frozen in horror.
The pit ng'ombe snarled his teeth back and contracted his claws, moving mbele on the innocent creature. "I'm in the mood for some deep, red, blood..." The dog snarled. His voice was deep and rough, like that of a broken steam engine. The smaller dog didn't seem to know what to do au where to go. He didn't even seem to be that old, maybe just a few years. He just whimpered and stared into the pit bull's sharp, pointed, blood-stained teeth. The pit ng'ombe lunged itself at the poor defenseless creature with a growl and tore him limb from limb, its blood pouring onto the ground and the junk, taka that lay upon it.
Leonard turned back and leaned against the junk, taka and cupped his paws over his mouth to avoid vomiting, he couldn't believe what he was witnessing. He pinched himself hard with his claws in hopes that he was only dreaming, but only found the unfortunate news that he wasn't. His moyo pounded out of his chest in fear and panic. He heard the snarling, tearing, and chewing sounds came gradually to a halt, indicating that he had finished his horrid meal. Leonard once again refrained from vomiting, not wanting to be heard. He carefully got to his feet and started creeping back the way he came, but came to an abrupt halt when he heard that deep, grubby voice behind him in the near distance.
"I smell something...something...alive..."
Leonard looked behind him in fear. If not for the shine of the moon, he wouldn't have been able to see the shadow of the beast. He had begun to sniff around the area, and his shadow grew larger as he made his way for the path Leonard was following. Leonard was about to take off running, but tripped on a spring as soon as he took his first flying step forward, hitting the ground with a thud that seemed to hang in the air for a few seconds. He cringed and looked back, the pit ng'ombe skidded to a halt at the end of the path and saw him. He growled and began walking mbele in a stalking motion. Leonard got to his feet and charged mbele as fast as he could and the pit ng'ombe pursued with great speed, snarling, and growling with fearsomeness.
Leonard skidded around the corner and tried not to stumble as he propelled himself forward. He was starting to run out of breath, but he didn't care. He kept running with all of his might. Much to his surprise, he saw the exit in the distance. If he wasn't so terrified he'd smile. He didn't dare look behind him. Leonard had almost made it to the exit when the pit ng'ombe finally pounced on him and flipped him onto his back. Leonard stared in horror at his large jaws that still dripped blood from his last meal, and breath that had the putrid scent of animal flesh. His lips were snarled back and his red eyes seemed to beat into his soul, and his sharp claws dug into his arms. Finally, Leonard was able to get over the shock just enough to beg for mercy.
"Please! Please don't eat me! I won't tell anyone what I saw! I swear it!" He pleaded.
"Well, we're gonna be sure about that, aren't we?" The pit ng'ombe growled.
"I swear it! I swear it!" Leonard pleaded again. The dog just growled violently and beared down harder, making it difficult for Leonard to breathe. Suddenly the sound of a car was heard and the pit ng'ombe perked up, slightly loosening his grip on Leonard. Leonard took a deep breath in and saw the gleam of lights on the ground around him. The pit ng'ombe acted on impulse and ran. Leonard sat up, eyes still wide with the shock of everything he'd just been through. He turned slowly around just as the penguins' pink car turned into the entrance of the junkyard.
"There he is! See? Told ya we'd find him." Skipper alisema from the passenger seat.
"Are wewe okay, Leonard?" Private asked leaping out of the back kiti, kiti cha and running to him.
"Just peachy...." Leonard alisema simply, still processing what just happened. Private took his arm and helped him up.
"Are wewe okay, then? wewe look a little shaken up. Did something happen?" Private asked.
"No! I mean...It's uh...just a little creepy in here at night, wewe know?" Leonard answered nervously.
"Well, everything's alright now. Let's get wewe home." Private alisema helping him into the back seat. When they sat down, Private eyed his foot curiously. "What's that on your foot then?"
Leonard looked at the sole of his left foot; the bone he'd stepped on left a trail of blood, which was dry now. "Uh, it's nothing. I probably just stepped on a rusty pole au something." Leonard answered once again in a nervous haste.
"Oh, alright then. It'll wash right off. I really am sorry this happened." Private said.
"Yeah...s-sure. Let's just get back to the zoo, okay?"
Private smiled sympathetically. "Sure. Step on it, Rico!" Rico hit the gas and turned the car around and headed back to the zoo. Leonard's mind remained in the junkyard.
"Okay Kowalski, what do we have this time?" Skipper asked his lieutenant. The four of them were on their habitat's island.
"Skipper, I have invented..." He got ready to rip the sheet from over-top his latest invention. "The penguin, auk Jetpack 3000!" He pulled the sheet from the invention to reveal a backpack shaped invention with large two-liter soda's on the side. Along with foam-finger wings to help with stability. "PJ for short." Kowalski alisema with a smug smile.
"What was wrong with our other jet packs?" Private asked.
"Private, those little things were only able to clear a 45 mile radius! This one will go way farther!" Kowalski explained.
"Oh, really, Kowalski? Have wewe taken any safety precautions before this thing gets airborne?" Skipper asked suspiciously.
"Pft! Of course!" Kowalski exclaimed. Skipper looked at him as if to say, 'Show me.' Kowalski sighed and turned it around. "Look, there's a built in parachute here in case something goes wrong. Which it won't. And there's no possible way it can explode. There's nothing here that could react with each other to create any kind of spark. Satisfied?"
Skipper rubbed his chin. "Okay. So who's gonna test it?" Private began backing toward the hatch; Skipper noticed him trying to slip away. "Private! You're up!" Private sighed.
After strapping him in and putting a kofia, chapeo on his head and goggles on his face, they prepared for launch. "Kowalski...are wewe sure I'll be safe?" Private asked worriedly.
"You'll be fine! Just hang on, and be sure to keep your balance." Kowalski encouraged.
"How fast does this thing go?" Private asked.
"Private, I've done every calculation. Twice, in fact! I assure you, nothing will go wrong! Any zaidi questions?"
"Um...just one...is the first aid kit on hand?"
Kowalski laughed. "First aid kit? Private, trust me, will you?"
"S-Sure, Kowalski." Private alisema a little shaky.
Kowalski sighed. "Alright. Let's get ready. Now when I say so, pull this string." Kowalski instructed putting a string in his flipper.
"Okay..." Private replied.
Skipper, Kowalski, and Rico stepped back. "Okay, Private! Liftoff on three!" Kowalski started. "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three!"
Private closed his eyes and pulled the string. The PJ ignited and lifted off into the sky at a great speed. Private cried out in terror. The PJ was moving too fast for him to gain control and stability. Skipper and Rico gave Kowalski a hard stare. Kowalski smiled nervously. "Well...how 'bout that?"
Skipper rolled his eyes. "Alright, let's go after him."
Meanwhile, Private was whizzing around the zoo, completely out of control as the sun barely dipped below the horizon...the time when nocturnal marsupials wake up from their siku slumber.
Leonard the koala woke with a yawn. "Ah, that was a good nights'-" He cocked his ear. "What in the-" He turned around to see Private flying straight for him.
"Look out! I can't steer!" Private called. But it was too late. He ran into Leonard and was now carrying him on his flight.
"Aahh! Slow down! Take me back!" Leonard cried clinging on to Private.
"I can't! It's moving too fast!" Private called back. Now the PJ was taking them over the zoo walls and into the city.
"Make it stop! Please make it stop!!" Leonard had his eyes clamped shut, not daring to look down au at how fast they were moving.
"I'm trying!" He pulled another string, which activated the parachute. However, the speed of the PJ was so fast that the parachute jerked back upon catching wind, causing Leonard to lose his grip. "Leonard!!" Private called, but his reflexes weren't fast enough to grab his paw before he fell.
Leonard flailed his arms through the air as he made his descent. Luckily, he fell into an old junkyard, which provided him with a soft old kitanda to land on. He bounced a couple of times before landing on the plantless ground; only a few weeds stuck up here and there. Leonard got to his feet with a frustrated grunt and dusted the dirt out of his fur, then stretched his limbs to try to help with the soreness. He looked around, unsure of where he was supposed to go. wewe couldn't see the exit from his position. "Oh, those penguins so owe me!" He muttered to himself. He started off in one direction, in tafuta of the exit.
It was dark now. The eerie moon began its ascent into the sky. An old swingset creaked and moaned in the distance. Leonard could hear his moyo beating as it gradually began to pound and the dry, warm dirt beneath his feet crunched slightly with every step. A sudden flapping sound above his head made him jump, though it was only a crow. Leonard took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "It's okay, Leonard, you're okay. There's nothing to fear...I hope...." He tried to encourage himself, but found it difficult to remain calm in such a place and such a time. He continued walking until he reached the edge of the junkyard. He had hopes of climbing over the fence, but it was too tall and topped with barbed wire. So instead, he decided to scale the side until he found the exit. He'd walked about five steps when a crunch was heard under his feet. He looked down and cried out in shock, stumbling back and falling to the ground at the sight. It was a rib. Blood was smeared on it. Fresh blood. He rubbed the sole of his foot on the ground in attempt to rub it off and became very nauseous. He then heard something low, but hard to make out in the near distance.
"H-Hello?" Leonard called softly. He got to his feet in hopes of finding someone who could help him find his way out of here. He slowly walked through a path between tall piles of tires, kitanda frames, broken televisions, and other junk. "S-Skipper? Is that you?" He asked quietly, though something was telling him otherwise. Finally he saw something moving around the bend. He cautiously peeked around to see a rather skinny pit bull. He eyed it curiously and wondered what it was doing here, but what he saw inayofuata answered his question. The pit ng'ombe was backing a smaller stray dog into a corner. The dog whimpered and cowered, but the pit ng'ombe was unfazed and had no remorse for its fear. Leonard tried to turn away, but found himself unable to for he was frozen in horror.
The pit ng'ombe snarled his teeth back and contracted his claws, moving mbele on the innocent creature. "I'm in the mood for some deep, red, blood..." The dog snarled. His voice was deep and rough, like that of a broken steam engine. The smaller dog didn't seem to know what to do au where to go. He didn't even seem to be that old, maybe just a few years. He just whimpered and stared into the pit bull's sharp, pointed, blood-stained teeth. The pit ng'ombe lunged itself at the poor defenseless creature with a growl and tore him limb from limb, its blood pouring onto the ground and the junk, taka that lay upon it.
Leonard turned back and leaned against the junk, taka and cupped his paws over his mouth to avoid vomiting, he couldn't believe what he was witnessing. He pinched himself hard with his claws in hopes that he was only dreaming, but only found the unfortunate news that he wasn't. His moyo pounded out of his chest in fear and panic. He heard the snarling, tearing, and chewing sounds came gradually to a halt, indicating that he had finished his horrid meal. Leonard once again refrained from vomiting, not wanting to be heard. He carefully got to his feet and started creeping back the way he came, but came to an abrupt halt when he heard that deep, grubby voice behind him in the near distance.
"I smell something...something...alive..."
Leonard looked behind him in fear. If not for the shine of the moon, he wouldn't have been able to see the shadow of the beast. He had begun to sniff around the area, and his shadow grew larger as he made his way for the path Leonard was following. Leonard was about to take off running, but tripped on a spring as soon as he took his first flying step forward, hitting the ground with a thud that seemed to hang in the air for a few seconds. He cringed and looked back, the pit ng'ombe skidded to a halt at the end of the path and saw him. He growled and began walking mbele in a stalking motion. Leonard got to his feet and charged mbele as fast as he could and the pit ng'ombe pursued with great speed, snarling, and growling with fearsomeness.
Leonard skidded around the corner and tried not to stumble as he propelled himself forward. He was starting to run out of breath, but he didn't care. He kept running with all of his might. Much to his surprise, he saw the exit in the distance. If he wasn't so terrified he'd smile. He didn't dare look behind him. Leonard had almost made it to the exit when the pit ng'ombe finally pounced on him and flipped him onto his back. Leonard stared in horror at his large jaws that still dripped blood from his last meal, and breath that had the putrid scent of animal flesh. His lips were snarled back and his red eyes seemed to beat into his soul, and his sharp claws dug into his arms. Finally, Leonard was able to get over the shock just enough to beg for mercy.
"Please! Please don't eat me! I won't tell anyone what I saw! I swear it!" He pleaded.
"Well, we're gonna be sure about that, aren't we?" The pit ng'ombe growled.
"I swear it! I swear it!" Leonard pleaded again. The dog just growled violently and beared down harder, making it difficult for Leonard to breathe. Suddenly the sound of a car was heard and the pit ng'ombe perked up, slightly loosening his grip on Leonard. Leonard took a deep breath in and saw the gleam of lights on the ground around him. The pit ng'ombe acted on impulse and ran. Leonard sat up, eyes still wide with the shock of everything he'd just been through. He turned slowly around just as the penguins' pink car turned into the entrance of the junkyard.
"There he is! See? Told ya we'd find him." Skipper alisema from the passenger seat.
"Are wewe okay, Leonard?" Private asked leaping out of the back kiti, kiti cha and running to him.
"Just peachy...." Leonard alisema simply, still processing what just happened. Private took his arm and helped him up.
"Are wewe okay, then? wewe look a little shaken up. Did something happen?" Private asked.
"No! I mean...It's uh...just a little creepy in here at night, wewe know?" Leonard answered nervously.
"Well, everything's alright now. Let's get wewe home." Private alisema helping him into the back seat. When they sat down, Private eyed his foot curiously. "What's that on your foot then?"
Leonard looked at the sole of his left foot; the bone he'd stepped on left a trail of blood, which was dry now. "Uh, it's nothing. I probably just stepped on a rusty pole au something." Leonard answered once again in a nervous haste.
"Oh, alright then. It'll wash right off. I really am sorry this happened." Private said.
"Yeah...s-sure. Let's just get back to the zoo, okay?"
Private smiled sympathetically. "Sure. Step on it, Rico!" Rico hit the gas and turned the car around and headed back to the zoo. Leonard's mind remained in the junkyard.
