"Wow! I can see me!"

"Your point?"

Hitori was staring at her reflection in a lake in awe. Her eyes wide, she

gently touched the water. Her muscles tensed as a ring rippled her body and

made it disappear for a moment. She let out a sigh of relief when she was back.

Blowhole chuckled slightly. "It'd not actually you, ya' know."

Hitori shrugged. "It must be something living though, right? I assume

everything has something to it."

"Well, you assume incorrectly," Blowhole muttered. Then, mais clearly, he

said, "Come on. We need to get going. Find a place to set up camp."

Hitori nodded and followed Blowhole. He had been with Hitori for about a

week now. He was starting to get used to having someone with him, as somewhat

of an equal, but it still felt kind of strange to him. Blowhole sighed. He

looked at Hitori. She was smiling; of course. She always did. It made him feel

uncomfortable. For some reason it worried him. Like she didn't understand how

harsh the real world was. Still he couldn't help but wonder where she came from.


Blowhole and Hitori had picked a place to spend the night. Blowhole stared

at Hitori, wondering if she was awake or not.

"Hitori?" He whispered.

It took a while for her to reply, as though she wasn't sure if him calling

her name was her imagination or not, and was afraid to reply, in case she'd

wake him up. "Yes?" She said finally.

"I want to know where you come from."

Hitori took a deep breath. "Promise to tell nobody."

Blowhole blinked. This was one strange girl. He nodded anyway, a bit

reluctantly. She hesitated, and then began what would probably be a long story.

"I'm the last phoenix," she murmured. "My mother, when she was alive, had

to keep me away from the rest of the world. She warned me that others would use

what I have for wrong reasons."

"What exactly do you posses?"

Hitori stared at him like he was an idiot. Blowhole blushed. Was this

something he was supposed to know?

"A phoenix's blood can give any creature immortality." Suddenly Hitori

winced. "I shouldn't have said that." She quietly remarked to herself. Her eyes

grew wide with fear. She instantly stood up, and started to leave. But Blowhole

pulled her back.

"Do you think I want that?"

Hitori gazed at him for a long while. Then she looked down, and shook her

head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have judged you instantly." She looked up at him,

and a slight twinkle of admiration seemed to flash in her eyes. But after an

instant, it was gone. "You're different."

Blowhole tried to not show his fear. What would Hitori think if she

knew I've tried to destroy the world countless times? He thought. She would

probably leave him. Normally, if somebody was tagging along with him, he would

be glad to get them out of his moisturized skin. But he felt a bit differently

about Hitori. He wouldn't exactly mind that much, but he might be a bit

disappointed.

Hitori lay down again. She grinned at him, then closed her eyes. "Good

night."

Though Blowhole knew she couldn't see it, he nodded. Then he stared up at

the sky, dappled with tiny white lights. Hitori gasped in surprise, her eyes

bursting open in alarm.

"What's wrong?" He asked, unable to hide his concern.

"They're just so beautiful!"

"The gasses in the yonder?" He couldn't believe she had awoken him from

being half-asleep just because she saw pretty things.

Hitori laughed. "No, silly. I mean the bright parts in the darkness

beyond!"

Blowhole was puzzled. "Um, they're called stars, and the "beyond" is the

sky."

"Oh."

Blowhole was flabbergasted. How could a bird not know what those were?

As if she had read his mind, Hitori explained, "All my life, my mom had me

hide in a cave in faraway mountains. Whenever I looked up, all I saw was brown."

That must have been a boring life, Blowhole couldn't help but

think. He then sniffled out a yawn, and realized his eyes were drooping, and

that he was getting tired.

"Okay, have a nice rest," then, he added, a bit grudgingly, "for real this

time."


The sun making him hot and shining in his face woke Blowhole up. Standing

and stretching his stiff legs, he prodded Hitori to awaken as well.

Groggily, she got off her cama of leaves. Instinctively, she looked around,

for food, Blowhole assumed.

"Are there any apples around here, you think?" She wondered.

Ever since Blowhole had given Hitori one of the bright red fruits, she had

become obsessed with them, to the point it was the only thing she would eat.

Then again, he had never really offered her anything else.

"I don't know, but I can find you something else."

Hitori looked unsure, as though he might give her some of her most

despised food, fish.

"Wait here," he said. "And I mean it. I'll be right back, so don't go

wandering off."

As he was off, Hitori nodded. He hoped she wouldn't leave. Last time he

had left her alone he came back to find her gone. After hours of trying to find

her, she found her in some kind of animal trap, covered in blood. It reminded

him coldly of when he had been captured por humans. Seeing them try to take her,

too, or maybe just injure her, perhaps even worse, made his hate for them grow.

Why were they so cruel?

Then again, he was spiteful, too. He himself had done some awful things.

But they were for good reasons. He was sure of it. Nobody else understood. If

animais let people constantly step on them like bugs, eventually one dia they

might get rid of or enslave them all.

Shaking his head to clear his mind of his worst nightmare, Blowhole

spotted a piece of pão something had left behind. He tore off the part that

had been bitten into, picked it up, and went back to Hitori. It probably

wouldn't be enough for her, but he could find something else if he needed to.

"I'm back," he said once he had returned. He was relieved to find Hitori

was there.

"Good; it's about time!" She replied, sounding frustrated. But then he

noticed humor glittering in her eyes. "My stomach is growling louder than you

do when you're angry."

Blowhole couldn't help but let out a slight chuckle. He sat down and

stared into o espaço as she bit into her food. Thankfully, he got no complaints

from her about it, though she showed no signs of liking it much. He assumed she

was so hungry now that she didn't care what she had. Blowhole then realized he

was pretty starved, too.

"Hey, can you wait here for a few moments longer?" He asked. "I want to

get something for myself, too."

Hitori nodded. " Sure. Could you get me something else, too, maybe?"

"Sure," he then turned around and went back into the deeper part of the

forest.

Blowhole was thinking, of course. About Hitori. He had been ever since he

met her, really. Or, at least ever since they started traveling together.

Something about her was unique to Blowhole. And he felt things for her he had

for nobody else before. When he had first met her, she had crashed into him,

and he had seen her as only another nuisance. But after a while of being with

her, he had seen her as somewhat of a companion.

Then he realized that their alliance wouldn't last long. The only reason

she wasn't staying with him at his lair was because he hadn't wanted her there

before. So he had suggested they find her a new home.

"Where could I go where I'd have protection?" She had wondered.

"I've heard of a place," Blowhole recalled. "My mother would tell my

brothers about it in stories before they went to sleep. I don't know if it's

real, but we could try finding it. Apparently whenever you want something, it

grows in the ground, and nobody can attack each other there."

Hitori's eyes had gleamed with amazement. "It sounds perfect," she had

sighed dreamily.

Thinking of those stories his mom had told his siblings, Blowhole

remembered the terrible days with his family. Blue and White were constantly

bullying him, and Cora had never done anything to stop them from doing so. In

fact, behind his back, she encourages them to tease Blowhole. She had never

liked him. He was born small, weak, and sickly. Nobody had cared for him; ever.

One day, Blue wandered off, and Cora hadn't been watching him. He was killed.

And Cora refused to take the blame. So she had said it was Blowhole's fault,

and after another beating, she left him to die, with no shelter, food, or

anyone to amor him.

Maybe that was why he appreciated Hitori. She was the first creature he

had ever met to show any kindness to him. There were ones who had before, he

recalled, but they had betrayed him. And the two who stuck with him were

killed. Murdered por the traitors. He supposed maybe his lagosta army liked him,

but he assumed it was only because he fed them, and gave them a place to stay.

Hitori seemed different, and he had a strange vibe that she wouldn't leave him.

Blowhole realized he was now close to a human suburban area. He could tell

por the disgusting smell of smoke that lingered around. Blowhole didn't

understand why they couldn't be content with nature itself. They had to make

everything themselves. He could probably find something for Hitori if ventured

into the unfamiliar territory, but he just couldn't. In truth, he was

scared. Maybe not all of them wouldn't make him do tricks, and hit him when he

didn't perform, but old habits die hard. He turned away and got as far away

from that place as he could.

Blowhole sighed. Blowhole had been searching for quite a while now. How

long would it take? The worst part was that he had seen plenty of fish. Why did

Hitori have to be so picky?

"Stupid girl," he muttered.

I wonder if I'm making a mistake. Maybe I should just go back home, and

things can go back to the way they were.

But somehow he couldn't urso the thought of the penguins getting Hitori.

Without him, he was sure they would catch her; if they were still after her,

anyway. They hadn't seem Skipper and his crew since their first encounter after

Blowhole had met Hitori, but somehow he couldn't shake off the feeling they

would have mais trouble with them later. If his enemies caught Hitori, that

would mean they beat him. Again. This could be his chance to win.

Blowhole's thoughts were interrupted por a rustling in the trees. He let

out a slight growl.

"Who's there?" He hissed.

No reply came.

"Answer me!" He spat.

A black-and-white shape fell down from the branches. It was small, round-

headed, and screaming.

"Ow," he groaned as he hit the floor.

"Private!" Blowhole gasped.

Private stood up. He was movements were wobbly, and looked he looked like

a drunk.

Instinctively, he grabbed Private, and held him up.

"Go back to your precious zoo!" He snarled. Private was wide-eyed. "And

leave Hitori and I alone!"

Private blinked. "Calm down," he said. "I'm not on Skipper's side anymore.

I've come to help you."

Blowhole narrowed his eyes. "Oh really?" He asked.

"Yes."

Blowhole snorted. He didn't believe a word, and he was going to make sure

Private knew that.

He was about to mock Private, but then he thought hard. Private had always

been mais kindhearted than the others. Maybe he was telling the truth. He had

looked reluctant to hurt Hitori last time they met.

Blowhole sighed. "All right, I'll think about trusting you." He

said, feeling awkward. "Tell me why you, and Skipper," he gritted his teeth as

he said his foe's name, "are after Hitori."

Private shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "We're kind of not after her," he

explained. "I'm not, really. And neither are Kowalski and Rico. We're just

doing what Skipper tells us. That's how things have always been for us, really.

It's natural." He paused slightly.

"Go on." Blowhole pushed.

"Right," Private muttered, staring down at the ground. Looking up,

straight at Blowhole, he went on, speaking clearer. "Skipper has teamed up with

a guy called Cymric. It was all very sudden. One dia he left to go train por

himself for some days. He could hardly do so at the zoo anymore. The lemur's

música was too loud." Private's eyes were glittering with amusement. "When he

came back, he started atuação a lot different. He treated us quite unkindly. And

he said he wasn't our captain anymore, and that he served Cymric. He insisted

we did, too. He took us to Cymric, and he told us to go after the last

phoenix."

Blowhole's jaw dropped. Hitori was the last one? And they wanted to kill

her? They were no better than humans! In fact, they just might be worse.

But why was Blowhole suddenly caring? He never had before. He tried to

flood the whole world. But he instantly shook his head. That was different. He

had been completely justified, and no one could tell him otherwise. He wasn't

going to kill anyone. Just make humans jump through hoops. It served them

right. They made him do it.

His thoughts were interrupted when Private went on. "He wanted a drop of

her blood, so that he could become immortal. That's what that stuff does, you

know, if you drink it."

"Hitori told me," Blowhole let him know reluctantly.

"Cymric already has control of all of our species."

Private's words alone seemed to be a great force that threw him at a tree.

But he was still in the same spot, to Blowhole's surprise. There must be

millions of penguins out there! Surely he didn't truly command each and every

one.

Blowhole decided to let Private go on. He wasn't sure if he believed him

or not, though. It all seemed impossible, and yet, there was no reason for him

to make these things up. It wasn't endangering him in any way, if he wasn't

really trying to help him and Hitori.

"Cymric trains the young to be his soldiers. He and his guards use harsh

methods. Kidnapping, beating, and for some, even brainwashing."

Despite his villainous mind, dark heart, and all the things that were

terrible he had done, this disgusted him. Too much. If he had eaten anything

he might have barfed.

"Older ones are enslaved. And if Cymric decides a child isn't obedient

enough, they became slaves, too."

"I guess you go through all that harsh training?"

Private nodded. "But since I came with Skipper, I'm a bit mais trusted,

thankfully. They don't suspect I'm a traitor. They monitor others more. Skipper

has assured Cymric I can be trusted. So I can sneak out pretty easily when I

want, but if I'm gone too long, I'll need to get back as soon as possible. If

they miss me, they'll expect something's up." Private shuddered. "Speaking of

me being gone for too long, I think I have been. I better get back. Tomorrow

morning I will come back and give you mais information. Meet me at this same

place." Then, he added, "Good luck."

"Thanks," Blowhole replied quietly. "I think we're going to need it."


With a peixe for himself and some potatoes chips he had found in a

trashcan for Hitori, he headed back to her. There was some mold on her food,

but she refused to eat meat, so for her, comida was scarce. Even for him, it was

a bit. They had to eat whatever they could. Winter would come soon. There were

fewer peixe to find, and soon he may have to try eating other things.

"Here," he said, giving her the snack.

"Thank goodness." She let out a sigh of relief. "I'm starving! What took

you so long?"

Blowhole explained meeting Private, and how it took a while to find things

to eat.

Hitori let out a grunt of understanding. "That's fine." She chirped. "I'm

just glad you got something. Ever since my mother died, I haven't hardly been

able to get much." She took a bite, and instantly, spat it out.

Blowhole was about to snap at her for being picky, but then he saw that

she had bitten into mold.

"Er, yeah," he said. "Don't eat the green spots."

Hitori blushed in embarrassment. "Sorry."

Blowhole didn't reply. And for a while, everything was quiet. Then,

Blowhole uncontrollably laughed. She actually ate something emerald-

colored? Ridiculous!

Hitori giggled with him.

Then, after a while, they stopped, and Hitori asked, "Okay, what's so

funny?"