Skipper's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"W-w-what?" he managed to stumble out in a soft voice.
Not yet? What was THAT suppossed to mean? The penguin squirmed uneasily from underneath Marlene's furry, chocolate body, impatient to hear what she had to say next. He had to stop himself from freaking out and yelling at her, otherwise, he knew, she would never tell him anything. And whatever that "anything" was, it sure sounded serious.
There was a small splash of water that fell onto his chest, and as an immidiate reaction, he turned his head up towards the sky, thinking it might be raining again. But the night was completely clear, and there was not even one little wispy cloud in the sky. It was then he turned his attention to Marlene, and realized that she had begun to cry.
'Crying? Pft! Weak little female... She'd cry over everything if she could, wouldn't she?' he thought to himself, though in truth, this was breaking his heart.
He needed her to tell him, and he needed her to know that things would be okay, no matter what happened... Private had been right. Even he, Skipper, the fearless, strong, brave and bold leader, couldn't let a friend go on so sad, or confused.... or even let them cry without feeling guilty somehow. Besides, caring for civilians was in his job description; he could show pride in the fact that he was both doing his job and comforting a friend.
Marlene nervously chewed on her lip, avoiding eye-contact with Skipper yet again, and wondering, 'How am I suppossed to tell him?'
When she had decided on how to do that very thing, she turned away from him. And almost shamefully, she hid her face out of sight, not wanting him to see her cry.
She choked out,
"Skipper, I-I'm being... transferred to th-the breeding program in uh, Buffalo. I leave f-first thing the morning. Um... around eight, I think."
That off her chest, she slipped off of Skipper's warm, feathery chest and stepped a few feet away, her back turned to him. Oh, it was so unfair... What would Skipper think? About her... her, reacting so melodramatically towards such a stupid thing? About the transfer o-or the breeding program? And... what would he think about HER now?
A knot formed in her stomach at the very thought, and she began to feel dizzy and sick. Skipper didn't like animals he thought were weak, and now she was crying in front of him over nothing. So did he hate her now? Think she was a cry-baby? She didn't want to give him a reason to think either of those, so she continued explaining, hoping to even things out.
"The officials have appearantly been planning this since I arrived here." she started again hesitantly.
Meanwhile, Skipper could only stare wide-eyed at the otter, not sure whether he should let these words flow right through to his ear-drums, or whether he should just dismiss this whole situation as a horrible nightmare. He wanted to run away from all of this, hoping he'd manage to escape these lies. But he was flung back into reality at the sound of Marlene's sobbing growing stronger and more pitiful.
"I-I guess.... maybe they were just waiting for me to grow up a little. I-I only found out the day I got all angry at you guys, and I didn't know how to react at all... So I just decided to take it out on everyone else, I guess. I'm s-sorry, Skipper." the otter explained, trying to maintain her emotional strength.
But upon the realization that the knot of tears from her stomach had moved its way up to her throat, she turned back to Skipper and gave him a look of total fear. Her watery hazel eyes enlarged wildly as she exclaimed,
"Oh, I can't go there, Skipper!! You've seen how much I suck at dating! I'm a total disaster. I-I don't know how to love, not to mention I... I don't even know how to MAKE love, or raise children, or anything! I can't get stuck in a breeding program! I might as well be some sort of prostitute! And I... I-I'd miss you guys too much! Please... don't make me go!!"
"Marlene." Skipper grabbed the heart-broken otter back into his firm grasp and held her still. Now that he knew the main problem, he knew as well that he needed to get everything under control. That included Marlene.
"Calm down. Um... Why don't you go back to your place and cool down for a sec? I-I'll tell the boys ASAP, because God knows they're dying to know. Then... then I'll come over and talk with you about this. Okay?"
Marlene stared down at her paws as Skipper held them in his gentle flippers; the way her fingers and the curves of his jet-black wings intertwined. It reminded her of the bond she shared with the brave-hearted captain, and when he let go of her, she realized how easily their bond could be broken by just one tiny, little move.
A pang of anxiety rushing through her body, she looked up into his eyes to assure herself that that bond could never be broken. His gaze was so blue, she couldn't look away even if she tried. She was too afraid to... The only relief she knew at the moment was being with Skipper himself. Usually, he made her feel worse about these things, but under the circumstances that they faced now, he wanted to be there for her. She could see it without a doubt, glowing in his eyes. Or was she mistaking that for something else?
As yet another tear strolled down her cheek, matting the velvety fur underneath it, she breathed in deep. With her normal voice restored, she murmered,
"Yessir."
***
"Damn it all!" Skipper growled as he pounded an angry fist down hard on the make-shift cinder-block table. Another pain gained for him to think about without wanting to, he let a few more choice curses slip from his beak before falling silent, closing his eyes tightly with his head bowed down to the floor. What a day this was turning out to be... Pft. Yeah, right. This gave "A hell of a day" a whole new meaning.
The team slowly waddled their way towards him with curious faces, and stood attentively before him. They could only hope that whatever had happened up there hadn't been a "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" situation. Taking this to mind, Private was the first to speak up.
"D-did you not catch her?"
Skipper looked up with a frown, his dark eyes narrowed in an even darker fashion. Was it just Private, or did he look even more tired than when he left to go outside? Bags had formed underneath the skipper's eyes, and the young bird could only imagine what had gone down up there on the floe.
"Yes, I did catch her, actually. And I managed to talk to her..."
He then told the team all about Marlene's transfer into the breeding program, and they could only watch with shocked expressions as the words their leader spoke reached their brain, implanting like bullets shot out of an m-14 sniper rifle.
"B-but, she only just got here a few years ago! And that's almost on the whole other side of the state!" Private protested.
Kowalski nodded in agreement, and added,
"Yes. We've been here longer than that, and we have never been threatened even a single transfer. That we know of, anyways..."
"That's the problem." Skipper sighed, slipping into his recliner. Damned humans... This was their fault.
"The officials were only keeping her here temporarily, until she was mature enough to mate. Then... the transfer. The poor girl was clueless until just the other day... And, honestly, I don't blame her for going off the way she did. This whole time, she's been living a lie. And what for? She told me herself she might as well end up living the life of a prostitute when she gets transferred there."
His beak trembled slightly, and he looked away from the team, as if he feared showing them any weakness would cost him their respect. And he knew he couldn't afford that. Since when did he care so much about the little otter next door anyways? Well... maybe that old saying of "you don't know what you have until it's gone" was beginning to prove itself true. That scared him. And so did the very thought of losing such a good friend.
"Y-ya shoulda seen her out there. I... I've never seen her so scared before. I've never seen her cry..."
In a blink, the penguin reflected upon all the times he had needed Marlene. She... had saved his life on several occasions, and he was grateful for that. Without her, he might be dead. And now, losing her, he might just be dying- on the inside, that is. True, he needed her... but maybe- just maybe- she needed him, too.
"Now, if you don't mind... I have some unfinished business to attend to."
***
Skipper stood outside Marlene's doorway, thoughts racing through his mind and jumbling all together.
There had to be something he could do to make her stay. Though he still questioned himself about why it was that he was so intent on keeping her there in the zoo, he wasn't sure. He figured he had just grown accustomed to seeing her pretty face every day, and hearing that beautiful voice say, "Hi, guys!" every time she came to visit. And of course, he would miss yelling at her and telling her how cute and naive she was.
'...And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you'd feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now'
What was so wrong about not wanting a friend to leave him? What was wrong with thinking she that was pretty? Why did it feel wrong to call her a friend, and why did it feel wrong to think she was pretty?
There was a sudden cry from the otter's home, and on rapid response, Skipper flew down onto his belly and slid into Marlene's as fast as he could, his heart racing. Was she okay?
He came to a stop when he reached her bedside, only to find that she had already fallen asleep. Her paws and hind legs treaded back and forth, muffled words softly escaping from her lips and echoing off the empty walls. He let out a sigh of relief; she was just dreaming. She was okay...
'And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight'
As he turned to walk back to the HQ somewhat disappointedly, something reached out and grabbed his tailfeathers. His eyes stretched wide, he leapt up in suprise and spun around.
It was Marlene, with her grip firm on his short tail. She was not about to let go.
"S...Skip...per..." she murmered quietly.
Skipper looked down at her with a blank expression. Why HIS name? Why him of all animals? Why not Fred, or Julien, or even... even Kowalski?
"S-Skip..." she murmered again.
Was... was she dreaming about him? A soft blush spread through the white feathers on Skipper's face, and he kicked himself inwardly for letting his emotions and denied feelings for the otter get the better of him. He had no time for, no luck in love. And to love a mammal would be a violation of his way of life. No. No, he could never love her. What even made him think that for a second? This whole situation was driving him mad. What would people say if they knew how very special Marlene had become to him?
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am'
He pushed the thought aside, but couldn't help the lump of tears that had formed in his throat. He didn't want her to leave, and he knew she didn't want to either. If he could, he would get down on one knee and vow to her that she could stay in the zoo with him forever. But... he knew she'd be better off in Buffalo. She'd find better friends, a better life... Someone to love who could love her back, and do so the right way. She would find a good mate, fall in love, have lots of babies, and grow to be a happy, old, old lady. Compared to the life she'd been living here- facing death almost every day- a life of happiness and peace was the life she deserved.
'Well... this is all just bordering on cliche.' he thought sarcastically. He had heard the saying "If you truly love someone, you'll let them go", but he had lost Lola so long ago that he'd forgotten how much losing a loved one hurt. It was like twenty billion daggers straight through the heart, agonizing beyond all logical reson.
'And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive'
He stared down at the otter's tiny paw still clinging onto his tail-feathers. What could he do? He couldn't move, otherwise he'd wake her up. And with her grasp so tight, he'd end up with a bald spot on his butt if he tried to escape her.
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am'
He finally decided that he'd have to stay the night with her. He wanted to be there in the morning to say good-bye to her when she woke again, anyways.
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am'
Skipper knelt beside Marlene's bed, one flipper draped across her back, the other gently stroking her forehead. He fought back the tears burning at his sapphire eyes as he softened his voice to such an extent, not even an elephant could hear it if it tried.
"Marlene... I-I know you can't hear me, but... Thank you. Thanks for everything, ya know? You... you're a good friend."
The captain slowly leaned in towards the otter, and ever so softly that he was sure she wouldn't be able to feel it, gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He pulled away almost the second his beak come into contact with them. He didn't want her to awaken and see him; it would only make things harder for them both.
"I do wish things didn't have to be this way."
And he lay his head beside hers, and began to cry.
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am...'
-"Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls
"W-w-what?" he managed to stumble out in a soft voice.
Not yet? What was THAT suppossed to mean? The penguin squirmed uneasily from underneath Marlene's furry, chocolate body, impatient to hear what she had to say next. He had to stop himself from freaking out and yelling at her, otherwise, he knew, she would never tell him anything. And whatever that "anything" was, it sure sounded serious.
There was a small splash of water that fell onto his chest, and as an immidiate reaction, he turned his head up towards the sky, thinking it might be raining again. But the night was completely clear, and there was not even one little wispy cloud in the sky. It was then he turned his attention to Marlene, and realized that she had begun to cry.
'Crying? Pft! Weak little female... She'd cry over everything if she could, wouldn't she?' he thought to himself, though in truth, this was breaking his heart.
He needed her to tell him, and he needed her to know that things would be okay, no matter what happened... Private had been right. Even he, Skipper, the fearless, strong, brave and bold leader, couldn't let a friend go on so sad, or confused.... or even let them cry without feeling guilty somehow. Besides, caring for civilians was in his job description; he could show pride in the fact that he was both doing his job and comforting a friend.
Marlene nervously chewed on her lip, avoiding eye-contact with Skipper yet again, and wondering, 'How am I suppossed to tell him?'
When she had decided on how to do that very thing, she turned away from him. And almost shamefully, she hid her face out of sight, not wanting him to see her cry.
She choked out,
"Skipper, I-I'm being... transferred to th-the breeding program in uh, Buffalo. I leave f-first thing the morning. Um... around eight, I think."
That off her chest, she slipped off of Skipper's warm, feathery chest and stepped a few feet away, her back turned to him. Oh, it was so unfair... What would Skipper think? About her... her, reacting so melodramatically towards such a stupid thing? About the transfer o-or the breeding program? And... what would he think about HER now?
A knot formed in her stomach at the very thought, and she began to feel dizzy and sick. Skipper didn't like animals he thought were weak, and now she was crying in front of him over nothing. So did he hate her now? Think she was a cry-baby? She didn't want to give him a reason to think either of those, so she continued explaining, hoping to even things out.
"The officials have appearantly been planning this since I arrived here." she started again hesitantly.
Meanwhile, Skipper could only stare wide-eyed at the otter, not sure whether he should let these words flow right through to his ear-drums, or whether he should just dismiss this whole situation as a horrible nightmare. He wanted to run away from all of this, hoping he'd manage to escape these lies. But he was flung back into reality at the sound of Marlene's sobbing growing stronger and more pitiful.
"I-I guess.... maybe they were just waiting for me to grow up a little. I-I only found out the day I got all angry at you guys, and I didn't know how to react at all... So I just decided to take it out on everyone else, I guess. I'm s-sorry, Skipper." the otter explained, trying to maintain her emotional strength.
But upon the realization that the knot of tears from her stomach had moved its way up to her throat, she turned back to Skipper and gave him a look of total fear. Her watery hazel eyes enlarged wildly as she exclaimed,
"Oh, I can't go there, Skipper!! You've seen how much I suck at dating! I'm a total disaster. I-I don't know how to love, not to mention I... I don't even know how to MAKE love, or raise children, or anything! I can't get stuck in a breeding program! I might as well be some sort of prostitute! And I... I-I'd miss you guys too much! Please... don't make me go!!"
"Marlene." Skipper grabbed the heart-broken otter back into his firm grasp and held her still. Now that he knew the main problem, he knew as well that he needed to get everything under control. That included Marlene.
"Calm down. Um... Why don't you go back to your place and cool down for a sec? I-I'll tell the boys ASAP, because God knows they're dying to know. Then... then I'll come over and talk with you about this. Okay?"
Marlene stared down at her paws as Skipper held them in his gentle flippers; the way her fingers and the curves of his jet-black wings intertwined. It reminded her of the bond she shared with the brave-hearted captain, and when he let go of her, she realized how easily their bond could be broken by just one tiny, little move.
A pang of anxiety rushing through her body, she looked up into his eyes to assure herself that that bond could never be broken. His gaze was so blue, she couldn't look away even if she tried. She was too afraid to... The only relief she knew at the moment was being with Skipper himself. Usually, he made her feel worse about these things, but under the circumstances that they faced now, he wanted to be there for her. She could see it without a doubt, glowing in his eyes. Or was she mistaking that for something else?
As yet another tear strolled down her cheek, matting the velvety fur underneath it, she breathed in deep. With her normal voice restored, she murmered,
"Yessir."
***
"Damn it all!" Skipper growled as he pounded an angry fist down hard on the make-shift cinder-block table. Another pain gained for him to think about without wanting to, he let a few more choice curses slip from his beak before falling silent, closing his eyes tightly with his head bowed down to the floor. What a day this was turning out to be... Pft. Yeah, right. This gave "A hell of a day" a whole new meaning.
The team slowly waddled their way towards him with curious faces, and stood attentively before him. They could only hope that whatever had happened up there hadn't been a "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" situation. Taking this to mind, Private was the first to speak up.
"D-did you not catch her?"
Skipper looked up with a frown, his dark eyes narrowed in an even darker fashion. Was it just Private, or did he look even more tired than when he left to go outside? Bags had formed underneath the skipper's eyes, and the young bird could only imagine what had gone down up there on the floe.
"Yes, I did catch her, actually. And I managed to talk to her..."
He then told the team all about Marlene's transfer into the breeding program, and they could only watch with shocked expressions as the words their leader spoke reached their brain, implanting like bullets shot out of an m-14 sniper rifle.
"B-but, she only just got here a few years ago! And that's almost on the whole other side of the state!" Private protested.
Kowalski nodded in agreement, and added,
"Yes. We've been here longer than that, and we have never been threatened even a single transfer. That we know of, anyways..."
"That's the problem." Skipper sighed, slipping into his recliner. Damned humans... This was their fault.
"The officials were only keeping her here temporarily, until she was mature enough to mate. Then... the transfer. The poor girl was clueless until just the other day... And, honestly, I don't blame her for going off the way she did. This whole time, she's been living a lie. And what for? She told me herself she might as well end up living the life of a prostitute when she gets transferred there."
His beak trembled slightly, and he looked away from the team, as if he feared showing them any weakness would cost him their respect. And he knew he couldn't afford that. Since when did he care so much about the little otter next door anyways? Well... maybe that old saying of "you don't know what you have until it's gone" was beginning to prove itself true. That scared him. And so did the very thought of losing such a good friend.
"Y-ya shoulda seen her out there. I... I've never seen her so scared before. I've never seen her cry..."
In a blink, the penguin reflected upon all the times he had needed Marlene. She... had saved his life on several occasions, and he was grateful for that. Without her, he might be dead. And now, losing her, he might just be dying- on the inside, that is. True, he needed her... but maybe- just maybe- she needed him, too.
"Now, if you don't mind... I have some unfinished business to attend to."
***
Skipper stood outside Marlene's doorway, thoughts racing through his mind and jumbling all together.
There had to be something he could do to make her stay. Though he still questioned himself about why it was that he was so intent on keeping her there in the zoo, he wasn't sure. He figured he had just grown accustomed to seeing her pretty face every day, and hearing that beautiful voice say, "Hi, guys!" every time she came to visit. And of course, he would miss yelling at her and telling her how cute and naive she was.
'...And I'd give up forever to touch you
'Cause I know that you'd feel me somehow
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be
And I don't want to go home right now'
What was so wrong about not wanting a friend to leave him? What was wrong with thinking she that was pretty? Why did it feel wrong to call her a friend, and why did it feel wrong to think she was pretty?
There was a sudden cry from the otter's home, and on rapid response, Skipper flew down onto his belly and slid into Marlene's as fast as he could, his heart racing. Was she okay?
He came to a stop when he reached her bedside, only to find that she had already fallen asleep. Her paws and hind legs treaded back and forth, muffled words softly escaping from her lips and echoing off the empty walls. He let out a sigh of relief; she was just dreaming. She was okay...
'And all I can taste is this moment
And all I can breathe is your life
'Cause sooner or later it's over
I just don't want to miss you tonight'
As he turned to walk back to the HQ somewhat disappointedly, something reached out and grabbed his tailfeathers. His eyes stretched wide, he leapt up in suprise and spun around.
It was Marlene, with her grip firm on his short tail. She was not about to let go.
"S...Skip...per..." she murmered quietly.
Skipper looked down at her with a blank expression. Why HIS name? Why him of all animals? Why not Fred, or Julien, or even... even Kowalski?
"S-Skip..." she murmered again.
Was... was she dreaming about him? A soft blush spread through the white feathers on Skipper's face, and he kicked himself inwardly for letting his emotions and denied feelings for the otter get the better of him. He had no time for, no luck in love. And to love a mammal would be a violation of his way of life. No. No, he could never love her. What even made him think that for a second? This whole situation was driving him mad. What would people say if they knew how very special Marlene had become to him?
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am'
He pushed the thought aside, but couldn't help the lump of tears that had formed in his throat. He didn't want her to leave, and he knew she didn't want to either. If he could, he would get down on one knee and vow to her that she could stay in the zoo with him forever. But... he knew she'd be better off in Buffalo. She'd find better friends, a better life... Someone to love who could love her back, and do so the right way. She would find a good mate, fall in love, have lots of babies, and grow to be a happy, old, old lady. Compared to the life she'd been living here- facing death almost every day- a life of happiness and peace was the life she deserved.
'Well... this is all just bordering on cliche.' he thought sarcastically. He had heard the saying "If you truly love someone, you'll let them go", but he had lost Lola so long ago that he'd forgotten how much losing a loved one hurt. It was like twenty billion daggers straight through the heart, agonizing beyond all logical reson.
'And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything feels like the movies
Yeah, you bleed just to know you're alive'
He stared down at the otter's tiny paw still clinging onto his tail-feathers. What could he do? He couldn't move, otherwise he'd wake her up. And with her grasp so tight, he'd end up with a bald spot on his butt if he tried to escape her.
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am'
He finally decided that he'd have to stay the night with her. He wanted to be there in the morning to say good-bye to her when she woke again, anyways.
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am'
Skipper knelt beside Marlene's bed, one flipper draped across her back, the other gently stroking her forehead. He fought back the tears burning at his sapphire eyes as he softened his voice to such an extent, not even an elephant could hear it if it tried.
"Marlene... I-I know you can't hear me, but... Thank you. Thanks for everything, ya know? You... you're a good friend."
The captain slowly leaned in towards the otter, and ever so softly that he was sure she wouldn't be able to feel it, gave her a quick kiss on the lips. He pulled away almost the second his beak come into contact with them. He didn't want her to awaken and see him; it would only make things harder for them both.
"I do wish things didn't have to be this way."
And he lay his head beside hers, and began to cry.
'And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am
I just want you to know who I am...'
-"Iris" by The Goo Goo Dolls