CHAPTER 6: JUST NUTS

    If there is one creature that could truly break my control and infuriate me, that's fred figglehorn the Squirrel. Do I need to explain why? As Skipper said, "As dumb as a sack of hammers." But he is very vital to my plan now. He's easier to fool and convince because of his own stubborn judgement. And he could just jump from árvore to tree, unlike Skipper who'll be waddling.
    I stood on the zoo walls that faced central park. I scanned the area for Skipper. He just entered the park himself, and he is not in ahurry. He is muttering to himself, occasionally stopping in his pace, perhaps he's practicing the lines he want to say to Lilly.
    A love's fool indeed, I thought. That would buy me some time. I spied fred figglehorn sitting on a branch of his tree, munching on a nut. I quickly approached via his blind side, made sure he's in earshot and begun my operation.
    "What do you plan to do upon finding Lilly Skipper?" I said.
    I played the recording. "I trust my instincts mais than Lilly. Like I said if I need to take down some of my men. I'll do it. If I learn that Lilly is patronizing with the enemy I'll throw her to Hoboken."
    "Aye aye Skipper," I replied to the unpresent Skipper.
    Then I walked to Fred's view.
    "Hey you Pigeon!" fred figglehorn called. "Where's the flatheaded one you were talking to?"
    "Pigeon?!" he called me a pigeon! Pfft. "I'm not a pigeon."
    "But you're a bird right?"
    "Yes but pigeons can fly, while I a pinguim naturally cannot." Without my inventions' help of course.
    "Then you must be a chicken."
    "Did you even hear the word penguin?!"
    "Chicken."
    "Whatever! If you find a female penguin, pigeon, chicken with a choker's colar and a tattoo on her hip just tell her to come home! I'll give you a pack of almonds if you are able to find her."
    "Almonds you say? Why didn't you just say so?" and he pounced off his árvore for the search.
    Good. Glad that's over. I almost thought it wont work.
    I stealthily followed Fred, making sure Im not to be found por him, Skipper or the humans walking by. And then he found her after 15 minutes. I hid behind a bush, stayed my distanced and watched.
    She sat on a árvore branch, looking sad and discouraged. That almost broke my coração to watch, so I focused on fred figglehorn and their conversation through my binoculars, their voices faint but understandable enough.
    "Hey! You, female chicken!" again fred figglehorn with the chicken!
    "Are you talking to me?" Lilly asked.
    "Nellie is our name right?"
    "Lilly."
    "That's funny, I could have sworn its Nellie."
    "You must be the infamous fred figglehorn the squirrel." Lilly said when she remembered our past stories about him.
    "Uh-huh. There was that tall grumpy chicken who wanted me to tell you to come home. Tell him I did! And remind him he owes me almonds."
    "Tall and grumpy? That must be Kowalski."
    "Yeah and the flatheaded one was looking for you too."
    "Skipper?" I cant help but notice Lilly's eyes lit up.
    "Mmmhmmm. I herd him say something about you patronizing with the enemy and throwing you to Hobolen, Koboken I think."
    "What? Hoboken?! You heard him say that?"
    "It's Koboken. Yes I heard him say that. I think its a fancy dia spa, congratulations."
    Lilly fell silent then her flippers were clenched into fists.
    "This time his paranoid imagination is going too far!" She turned to Fred, "Are you lying? Are you making this up? I swear I'm going to..."
    "Hey! Hey!" fred figglehorn raised his paws in defense. "There's a pack of almonds at stake why would I lie?"
    "I'll remind Kowalski of your almonds." she said coldly and she jumped of the tree. She proceeded to the direction of the HQ.
    I scanned the park once again for Skipper. Not very far, I found him meticulously checking trees for a sign of Lilly. Statistically speaking, Im 100% certain they'll find one another.