Believe me: I know how a dead body touching feels. Everybody, who has (had) a pet knows…



A Dawn Of Hope

Private awoke. He felt cold and thirsty. His throat and eyes hurt from crying. He closed his flippers tighter around Kowalski and new tears came to his eyes as he felt that his body was stiff and cold. It was like hugging a rock – no returning of any emotions. Private sobbed.

The nightfall had began. The dark clouds had dividido, dividir apart and the sky wore a deep blue. The noises of the nightly forest around him frightened the little pinguim and he searched for protection in the hugging of the corpse…

Suddenly, Private heard another noise… closer… right behind him. He pressed himself even mais tightly at Kowalski and turned his head. In the dimmer light he saw something moving between the trunks. And then an animal stepped out.

"Private!" it cried appalled and ran towards him.

"M-Marlene?" Private stuttered, not unloosing his grip.

The lontra knelt down beside him and laid its paws on him.

"What are you doing out here?" she asked.

Then she realized the situation.

"Oh, Private" Marlene said desperately and stroked him. She looked at Private's red bandages around his flippers, the blood soiled ones on his back and his side being top. It was difficult to say, which was his own blood and which was Kowalski's, who… Marlene laid a paw on him and as she felt him being hard and cold, an ice cold chill went down her spine. She looked at Private. His eyes were closed tightly, his forehead pushed against Kowalski's neck and his body shivered and twitched in sobs. Marlene looked up. It was dangerous being outside here.

"Private. You've got to come with me. We're-"

"No!" Private shouted, so loud and suddenly that she flinched back. "I'm not leaving him! Not again! Never!"

"Private, you can't lie here all night."

"I told you: I am not leaving him!" Private retorted and reinforced his iron grip around Kowalski.

Marlene looked sadly at him.

"Private…"

"No" Private stood pat.

"Private, you can't do anything for him anymore, anyway" Marlene said.

Private pressed his beak tightly together. Marlene stroked him gently.

"Come. Please."

"But I don't want to leave him alone!"

"Do you think that Kowalski had wanted you lying here till death? Look at your injuries; we have to do something about it. And what if Skipper comes back?"

At the saying of Skipper's name, Private winced and pressed Kowalski very tight to himself.

"Kowalski promised me that he won't come back" he whispered.

"Private, Kowalski is dead."

"No."

"Private, he is."

"NO!" shouted Private and it echoed in the forest, that was getting darker.

"Sht" Marlene made frightened and looked around.

"Private, it's really not seguro here. Now come."

Private remained at Kowalski's side. Marlene bend down and took him in her arms. It was good to feel a warm body and to hear the pounding of a living heart. And Private pressed himself on her involuntarily. He finally gave in.

"Okay" he mumbled and let Marlene help him up. As he stood in the cold breeze, Private shivered. His legs felt weak. The wind blew violently under his feathers and send chills over his whole body. His feathers were stuck together from Kowalski's blood and therefore his skin was wet, which made him freeze even more. Marlene laid an arm around him.

"But we take Kowalski with us!"

"Private, that won't be possible. I can't take you and him."

Private pushed her back.

"Then I stay!"

Marlene looked helplessly at him. She knew that Private wouldn't leave this place without his friend.

"We can come at daylight and take his body. But now, I'll bring you first somewhere safe. Is that a deal?"

Private hesitated, then he nodded. When she took a step towards him he looked up. Even in the narrow light she could see the expression in his eyes – and it made her worry.

"Come." She took Private in her arms again and they started to walk in the direction she had come from. Private looked back at Kowalski…

"Private, what is with Rico?" Marlene asked, hoping to distract him, although it was not a good topic for a distraction.

"I don't know" Private answered, looking to the ground as they approached the trunks of the trees. "Rico stayed back when Skipper caught us…"

"Do you know where that was?"

"Maybe." He silenced a moment. "But it doesn't matter anyway."

Marlene stopped.

"Private, what are you saying?"

"Rico fought Skipper. He's dead" Private said with so much certainty, that Marlene looked at him in shock. But he still held his head down.

"How can you say that when you don't know it?"

Private shook his head. "I'm sure, he's dead."

Marlene got angry.

"Private. – Tell me where the place was where they fought!"

"For what?" Private retorted.

"Because he may be still alive and needs help!" Marlene said angry, nearly shouting. She couldn't believe what she heard.

"Okay" Private shrugged, still not turning his eyes off the ground and he pointed with a flipper, from which the red bandage hung down, to the right. "That way."

While they were following the direction, Marlene watched Private from the edge of the eye. His behavior was anything but normal. Sure, she had found him crawling to a dead body… But Private had never abandoned a friend, and even less when there was still a chance to seguro him. Private walked silently beside her. His head hung down, he didn't look up one time.

"Are you sure we're still on the right path?" Marlene asked at some time. That was the first time when Private lifted his eyes.

"It was here" he said.

"Really?"

He nodded. Marlene took Private's arm from her neck, which she had hold to help him walking, and looked around.

"Look, here's blood" she said, inspecting a dark spot on the earth.

Private didn't mover from the place he stood.

"It's too late" he repeated "He's dead."

Marlene got slowly up from the ground, looking at him, but his head was turned to the side. The lontra walked over and grabbed the little pinguim on its shoulders. She forced him to look her in the face.

Marlene saw in Private's eyes the sorrow from what he had suffered from. And something that had died. Something little, but important.

"Listen, Private" she said "you might have given up. But I – and Skipper might have been right, that I am naïve sometimes – I believe that there's always hope. So if you have lost all; I have not. And I'll keep searching for Rico till I find him to be sure. You can help me or not. But stop making everything worse than it is por looking at the black side! Because it is dark enough! Understand?"

Private stared at her. Then he nodded.

"Good" said Marlene pleased and let go of him. She took a deep breath.

"So… are you helping me, or not?"

Private nodded again, looking on the ground.

To find Rico, they walked the way, Private had run on his flight, further and Private raveled in a brier. Marlene had to help him out of the thorns.

"All right?" she asked. Private nodded and then his look froze.

"What?" Marlene turned around.

There, down on a tree, lay a penguin.

Marlene looked at Private, then she made her way over to the bird, that was lying on its belly. Private came slowly after her.

Marlene rolled Rico on his side, and laid a paw on his chest.

"He's alive" she said to Private, who stood behind her.

Marlene shook Rico slightly and called his name. Finally, he opened his eyes and moaned. Marlene noticed the blood, which was spread on the roots. A dirty piece of absorbent cotton lay around.

Marlene helped Rico up in a sitting position and he lay his back against the tree. He groaned.

Still was blood flowing out his side and if it hadn't been for his plumage, he would have been white as snow from the blood loss. However, he looked up and when he saw Private, something that was a smile, appeared on his face.

"Come on, Rico" Marlene said and pulled him up. His legs trembled and Marlene pushed her own body under his to prevent him from falling.

"Private, would you help me?" she groaned under Rico's weight. Private quickly took Rico's right flipper and they hung him up between them.

Slowly, they commenced going. Rico's head hung down. His body was weak and he could barely walk; Marlene and Private were almost carrying him.

"And where are we going, Marlene?" Private asked, and tried to push Rico into a position in that he could drag him easier. It hurt.

"Don't worry. I know a place where it's safe" answered Marlene. "Some of our friends are there, too."

The forest was now really falling into night. Fortunately, the lontra had good eyes in the dark and she knew the way. As they went over a clearing, Marlene said: "Rico… Kowalski is dead."

"Fearedso" was everything, Rico retorted after a moment of silence. But she could see por the look in his face, that it didn't slide just over him…

It seemed to take an eternity for winning way. Occasionally, Marlene and Private could feel that Rico was almost about loosing consciousness, when his body became very heavy. But Rico did his best to help them por staying on his feet. On other points, they had to stop because Private needed a rest.

"We're almost there" Marlene panted finally. Meanwhile, she was carrying the most weight of Rico because Private was just too exhausted and couldn't almost walk himself anymore. The forest was nearly totally black around them, with the trees closing their leaf canopy densely above them, and a moon didn't shine anyway – it was new moon.

As they pushed through some tight scrubs, a deep voice suddenly yelled:

"Who's 'here?"

Marlene and Private had almost dropped Rico with shock.

"It's me!" Marlene said loudly into the darkness. "My goodness, Burt! You nearly made my coração stop!"

"Sorry" the pachyderm retorted guiltily. All that Private could see of him was his gigantic shadow between the trees.

"Could you help me?" Marlene said. "I brought two of our friends."

"Sure." The elefante reached out his tronco, porta-malas and wrapped it gently around Rico, who had finally fell senseless.

"He needs help" Marlene said "Quick."

"Understood" Burt responded, and branches cracked when he turned around and walked away. They followed him in a short distance.