Here comes the last chapter:)

CHAPTER 5: Family and Friends

***
Auriga spotted Private sitting in the corner, his cute, childish face sad and resigned.
“What is it honey? You can’t fall asleep?” asked the Mother Penguin, sitting beside Private and patting him gently on the head.
“I barely ever used to have sleeping disturbances up until now” confessed Private, rubbing his left eye dreamily.
“There, there.. it happens sometimes.. there was a time, when Terry and Skipper couldn’t fell asleep for hours for some unknown reasons.. they were mga sanggol back then. I used to sit right beside them and hum them a song about Marco the Penguin.”
“Marco the Penguin?” repeated Private curiously.
“It is about a bravo sailor ibong dagat who sailed across the Atlantic with his staff. Each araw he would hum a song about his family and mga kaibigan he’d left behind and how much he missed them throughout his whole journey” .
“Do you still remember it?” asked Private, moving closer to Auriga.
“I still sing it to Terry whenever she feels down”.
“Can you sing it to me?” asked Private.
Auriga wrapped her flipper around Private’s arms and pulled him closer to herself. The young ibong dagat snuggled against her soft breast and closed his eyes.
“The ocean is bright, the waves are cold..
So many mysteries, still hidden and untold
Waiting for the araw to see all of you,
Somewhere far in the distance
I can hear your voice..
Altough in pain I still have no choise..
(...)
Auriga stopped short for a while to check on Private. She found him doubled up, snuggled against her breast, sleeping like a baby. She smiled gently and covered him with a warm blanket.


Kowalski was having one of his usual secret midnight strolls around the zoo when he heard two familiar voices echoing nearby. They belonged to Terry and Skipper. He glanced back behind himself and spotted two, ibong dagat –shaped silhouettes sitting behind the oak.
Kowalski didn’t feel like revealing his presence at this very moment so he jumped aside from the path and made himself comfortable in one of the bushes.
Skipper and Terry were sitting sa pamamagitan ng the pond, arm sa pamamagitan ng arm, sipping some drinks from kahel cans and talking.
“Sweet Mother McArthur, this is really good” confessed Terry as she finished her can and reached for the new one.
“Yeah, It always helps me regain good frame of mind.” sinabi Skipper.
“Tell me Skippa, why are Mom and Dad so dead against drinking these stuffs?”
“Dunno, perhaps because it’s got too much caffeine in it” muttered the leader penguin.
“Not much enough to make us feel sick tough” replied Terry. “Dear me, I really wonder why are they sooo overprotective towards us. It’s really driving me off the deep end sometimes”.
Skipper recalled his Mother’s confession, her teary eyes and dropped his head.
“They pag-ibig us, Terry” he said, his eyes glued to the ground. “Actually I think we’re both really, really lucky to have them for parents. And I wish that Kowalski, Rico and Private would get the opportunity to see their own parents one day.”
On hearing this, Kowalski felt his puso sink. He balled his flippers into fist and bit his tongue, tears forming in his eyes. Skipper’s confession was so touching he felt like bursting into cry any minute.
“I’m not gonna cry, I’m NOT gonna cry..” he kept repeating to himself, shaking his fists nervously. He eventually sat on the ground doubled up and closed his eyes, pain, misery and longing ripping his puso apart. He got Nawawala in his thoughts for a couple of minutes. After a while, he heard Skipper and Terry bantering with each other.
"Oh, yeah, I will ipakita you!" Terry cried, throwing herself at him. Skipper blocked her immediately and several segundos later she found herself on the floor.
"Damnit, man.." she muttered. "That was pretty cool".
"Years of practice, sista" answered Skippa proudily.
"Why won't you teach me that? It would be a perfect use to beat up Agnes".
"No, Terry, you know the rules. Never use your fighting skills in purpose of bullying the weaker."
"Well, fine" sighed Terry. "But I would like you to teach me some tricks, anyway."
“My pleasure. I will teach you some tricks tomorrow. But as for now I’d rather if we came back, it’s getting late”.
They got up from the ground and moved towards the path. Kowalski waited for them to vanish behind the corner and scrambled out of the bushes, his feather’s covered with leaves and branches, his eyes full of tears.
***
„It was soooo good to see you, bro!” sinabi Terry the susunod araw when the whole family was busy packing their suitcases.
Skipper waddled up to his younger sister and gave her a big hug.
“You can pop in whenever you want, sis” he said.
“Thank you, Skippa. I was having a really great time here. And thanks for the Fizzy ibong dagat dri…” she cut her tongue and pressed her flippers to her face. “Damn!”
Skipper smiled warmly and patted her sister on the head.
Private spotted Rico’s traumatized face, punched Kowalski in the ribs and gave him a mouthful look. They both stared at his comrade who was in turn gazing at his leader’s sister exchanging hugs with Marlene.
“Sorry for all the trouble we’ve caused you, son” whispered his Mom when closing Skipper in her arms. “But I am very glad to see you in a full health and strength. Make sure it lasts. And take care of your team mates”.
“Till susunod time, lad” sinabi Geroge the Penguin, patting Skipper on the shoulders. He was absolutely fine now – Marlene made the most of herself when nursing him back to health.
“She indeed would make a fantastic nurse if she was ever to become one” stated Skipper in his thoughts. “Well… maybe, someday if I got hurt during one of my missions… I would have enough luck to have her sa pamamagitan ng my side”.
A crooked smile leaked on his beak.
He turn his eyes on Terry and Rico who were exchanging hugs and cuddles. He noticed Terry was slightly red on the face. The same went for Rico as well.

***
Terry glanced back behind herself and took the last peek at the Central Park Zoo. She then let out a deep sigh, squeezed the suitcase in her flipper and was just about to climb up the pader when she suddenly heard Rico’s loud, hoarse voice bouncing against the trees. She turned around once madami and gazed at the sky. After several effective saltos, Rico landed right in front of her nose, beautiful rose sticking out of his beak.
“R..Rico!” she gasped, not believing her eyes.
“Magh babrhgra!” exclaimed Rico enthusiastically, shaking his beak.
“You’ve brought a flower.. for me?” asked Terry, both surprised and touched.
“Yap!”
“Well… that’s soooo sweet of you! It’s the first rose I’ve ever got from a boy!” uttered Terry and took the bulaklak in her free flipper.
“Teheheh…” chuckled Rico timidly, not knowing what to say. Terry saw him blushing violently under his feathers. She put her suitcase aside, walked up to her friend and stopped short for a while. Rico gazed at her, his puso whomping like crazy. Terry took a deep breath, balled her flippers into fists, then released the grip.
“I guess were’ not going to see each other for quite a long time now..” she whispered without raising her eyes from the ground. “So…”
Instead of finishing the sentence, she threw her flippers around Rico’s arms and placed a long, passionate halik on his beak. Rico goggled his eyes out in shock but he quickly found himself enjoying the kiss. Without hesitation, he wrapped his flippers around Terry’s waist and kissed back.
Meanwhile, Kowalski was making his way up the ladder. AS he jumped down on the ground, he looked pasulong and gazed in shock. On hearing Skipper following him, he automatically put his flipper back to shield Skipper from the sight of Terry and Rico kissing, sa pamamagitan ng hitting him in the beak with his notepad. Skipper let out a short moan and fell backwards.
“What the!”..
But Kowalski wasn’t listening anymore. He kept staring at his younger comrade with his beak wide open.
“Thank God Private is off for some snowcones” he thought, as Terry and Rico eventually pulled apart.
sa pamamagitan ng the time Skipper regained consciousness, Terry had already left the zoo gate. Kowalski shrugged as he realized he’d just ibingiay his leader a profound nosebleed.
“What the hell was that, Kowalski?” barked Skipper, rubbing his sore beak with his flipper. “Mind your gestures!”
“Sorry, Skippa” muttered Kowalski submissively, hanging his head down.
Rico turned back to face his comrades, large, dreamy grin shining on his beak.
The sun was shining.. the air was cold and fresh.. the kids were laughing, the bulaklak were at full blossom.. and his puso was exploding with joy. He still had Terry’s delicate face in front of his own, her sapphire blue eyes full of joy and excitement. There was a feeling he’d never had before. A feeling he would pag-ibig to last forever.
“Care for some snowcones, Rico?” Private’s childish voice jarred him from his own thoughts. Rico shook his head violently and stared down at his youngest comrade. Private smiled friendly and handed him a multiflavoured snowcone.
“Wonder why are you so red on the face, Rico” he chirped.
Rico took a dreamy look around. All foursome were now enjoying tasty, cold snowcones. He wished that everybody in the whole world would be so happy as he was just now.