Skipper's point of view
A human whipped me to the ground. The bone-chilling hands jerked me up from the ground. Then, I knew it was my turn. As the gritty man carried me, eyes peered out of the pitch black darkness. Some were filled with melchnolly relief and others with despair. For they knew, they could be next. Right, at that moment I remembered the words my father had told me when he had left for war the final time: "Now, that you're a soldier you must never be afraid to die. It is the greatest honor for a soldier to die on the battlefield. Win or don't come back at all." The human hoisted me up to his face level and snickered with his diseased teeth stained from smoking and other foul substances.

"Looks like it's your turn my little friend. You better win or else I'm out of two hundred bucks!" The man scolded, squeezing me to the point were he came close to suffocating me. His breath was stained of cigarettes and beer.

The man slammed a door open and entered. It was the same one I had been in before. I was handed to a devious scrawny man with his back hunched who put me on the scale, I had been weighed on the day my team and I were captured. Just thinking about my team depressed me. They could have been killed from the gas, for all I knew. I dazed down at the scale. I had lost half of my body weight already.

"I don't believe we named him yet, Stone." The grinning man said to his goon friend, nudging my chin.


"What are we going to name him?"


"Well, remember how he struggled to protect his pack when we got them. Maybe, we should name him something appropiate to that." The goon said spitting, which landed on me.


"It's called a 'rookery', moron. Well, he didn't succeed," he replied and turned to me, "no, you didn't did you." I nipped at him. "Don't make me whip you, again! I guess, we'll name you disgrace. See you in the arena." He said as crossed his arms across his back and strolled off chuckling.


"He's right, I am a disgrace." I thought to myself. "Stone" caught me by suprise when he tied a rope harshly around my neck and yanked me to the stiff floor. "Like I said, win this! Because if you lose and he doesn't kill you, I'll turn you into a coat." Stone warned. With all his might he tugged at the snug leash and dragged me down a dark hallway. A strip of light gleamed on me. My eyes hadn't seeked the ablaze of lights in weeks. This was it, no turning back. I had to meet my destiny.

I was pelted with beer cans and other trash from the drunken crowd, as I waddled on. They chanted and threw punches at each other. The pungeant musk made me gag.

In the arena, I looked into the crowd to see Cecil, Brick, and Officer X in the front row eating popcorn. On the other side of the arena a brute of a penguin glared at me. I knew I had to do whatever it took to survive.
A: "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen to our penguin fight! Up first is number 78937, Disgrace! Oh, a new comer! He's going to be fighting against number 58899, Victor!"
Cheers bolted through the crowd after Victor's name.
V: "I'm going to kill you!"
Ignored his jeers and the other taunts from the criminal audience. For a minute everything seemed silent and in slow motion. Then, a shot rang out. It was the signal to begin, but before I could put that together Victor pinned me to the ground. With one of his flippers he clenched my neck, but that was a fatal mistake. Because he had only one fin to hold me down, it was much easier to get him off. I kicked him into the air. His body fell with a thud and I held tightly down on his neck, so I then had the upper hand or flipper. I backed him up to a wall. I was ready then to get this over with. All my frustration boiled inside me as I took it out on him. Once again, everything had paused. I heard both of our heavy breathing. My eyes met his petrified eyes. I released my grip. From the ground he gazed up at me but in grattitude. I extended my flipper to help him up and he excepted. It was almost like we had a telepathic conversation. We weren't going to fight. The crowd booed saying "There better be some fighting or I'm leaving and getting my money back!" or "Come on, Victor, get 'em now that he's not paying attention!"
A: "Hold on, folks, we're going to make this interesting! Look out for Ripper! The last penguin to not get devoured wins!"
S: "Who's Ripper?"
V: "Oh no, no, no,"
Victor was parlyzed with fear. A echoing bark shook the battle ground. Out of nowhere a fierce dog pounced in front and began circling around us. He was toying with us so we'd be easier to take down because we'd be too intimidated. Randomly he nipped at my flank. Luckily, I was out of the way in time. That's when a heard a familiar voice. I recongized from anywhere it was Private, but where he was, was the question.
P: "Skippah! Skippah, look out!"
I finally saw his beak popping up from out of a hole. I started to rush over, but the dog blocked me.
Ri: "Maybe, I'll eat you. You look pretty plump and juicy. You'd make a nice meal or what about you over there."
Victor began to race around screaming.
Ri: "Oh, I love it when they run!"
Ripper took off after him, while I rushed over to Private. I grabbed his trembling flipper in mine.
P: "Please, don't die, Skippah! Please! You have to win! Look out!"
With that Ripped bit down intensely on my shoulder and tossed me into a wall. He pounced and landed on me. His powerful jaws dug into my chest. Just then I had a plan. It was my only hope, I had to try. I closed my eyes and slowed my breathing. I forgot Private was watching in terror.
P: "Skippah! No, no, no!"
Ki: "I'm so sorry, Private."
P: "I can't watch."
The crowd cheered in ovation. When Ripper wasn't looking I made my move and jumped on his back. He twisted with all his strength to get me off but I didn't dare budge. Finaly, he managed to knock me off. To my suprise he went for Victor who was breaking down in the corner. I couldn't look at the savage killing of my new acquantince. When it was over nothing was left and the dog retreated.
Aplause bursted from the crowd, while my foes marched out in infuriation. A man caught me off guard and hoisted me up over his head.
A: "We have a winner!"

He ported me out of the battlefield and through a slender hall. We entered a white drab room. On a counter sat a pail between a yellow sponge and a peach colored bar of scummy soap. The human plopped me into the bucket with little caution. The frigid water made me quiver. His voice rang out barking at his fellow worker. A young girl stepped through the door. From head to toe she was covered in dirt. The shabby rags she wore for clothes were falling apart. Her hair was tangled and knotted. She went straight to work. Her petite hands were incredibly soothing.
G: "Hi there little guy! You're adorable! I'm .... well, I don't have a name."
She tickled me but stopped in an instant when I felt a thick fluid drip on my belly. I looked down to realize the water was red. I was wounded worse than I thought. Bruises and scars covered by body completely.

After the thorough washing, she blow dried my feathers and rubbed me with a towel. Next, in front of me, she placed a bowl filled to it's capacity in fish. I instantaneously scarfed them down greedily. The taste was rotten but it was still satisfying to eat. Since, I got the impression that we weren't going to get fed in a while, I pigged out. It wasn't long until the man returned and chucked me into another room. Once again it was pitch black inside. I landed on my head and everything was spinning around me. A shadowy figure crept toward me, but before I could get a fair glance, I blacked out.

In Private's room (No one's point of view):
Private burst into tears as he kept repicturing in his mind the dog and what it had done to Skipper. He lied on the ground with flippers over his eyes. His whole body trembled. All his hope seemed to vanish along with his friend.
Ki: "That happens here. There's nothing you can do about it."
P: "You're not very sympathetic, I see. What if that happened to one of your .... close friends?"
Killer was silent.
P: "Huh? I guess, you wouldn't care, because-"
Ki: "It happened to my family!"
P: "What?"
Ki: "They all were killed except my youngest son. He managed to escape. It happened just after he hatched."
P: "Oh, I-I didn't know! I-I'm so sorry. Wait, did you say your son got away?"
Ki: "Yeah, why?"
P: "Well, when I was a chick, my uncle took care of me. Actually he wasn't really my uncle. I never really had a dad or mum. When I met my friends I guess we were kind of like a family. My uncle only told me that I escaped when my orginal family was being captured by hunters ......"
Ki: "Huh, maybe ...."
P: "Could it be possible?"
Killer didn't speak.
P: "Killah?"
Ki: "Son?"
P: "How do you know?"
Ki: "You look just like your mother."
Private hugged his father tightly. In his father's flippers Private fell asleep soundly.

In Rico's room:

Rico woke up in a panic he was all alone. A little penguin stepped toward him. He was just a hatchling who hadn't grown his adult feathers yet. His big hazel eyes were watering.
R: "Who are you?"
The chick nuzzle Rico's elbow.
?: "I can't find my mommy!"
R: "Oh, fjkgkd shdfjs. (I'll help you find her.)"
?: "Max, is my name."
R: "I'm Rico."
M: "Thanks, Rico."
Max wrapped his fins around Rico's neck and fell asleep.