Summary: Even psychotic penguins can have secrets. So what happens when the secret comes out?
Chapter One: Hoboken Broken
The Hoboken Zoo used to be a rotting cesspool, but the city finally noticed and fixed up the place, unfortunately, the inhabitants have become very used to pampering, rules, and security, that anything dangerous is quite appalling to them. Well, too everyone except Nitra…
"Just pull it back a little farther." The penguin chick commanded. She snapped on a pair of black goggle as she positioned herself in the catapult. It was rather large and poorly built, it creaked like an animal in pain as it was pulled back farther and farther sejak The lion cub. He was a dark golden brown with green eyes and the beginnings of a black mane on his head. He was scrawny compared to his brothers and sisters, but looked large seterusnya to his penguin friend.
" Ith dis sathe?" He asked, his speech muffled sejak the tether attached to the catapult. The gray and black chick laughed, her blue-green eyes gleaming in delight. The penguin chick had a large, wild smile. If she had teeth, they would have been fanged.
" Probably not! In't it great?" She grabbed him sejak the tail and threw him into the catapult.
ZING!
" WOOHOO! I'm a flying penguin"
" I think I'm gonna throw up!"
Nitra waved her flippers as she tumbled upward; passing over half the zoo before gravity took over. They were falling rapidly toward the earth.
" We're falling, Nitra!" the scrawny lion screamed. " We're gonna DIE!"
" Can it, Carl! Just follow my lead. " She yelled. She puled herself sideways until she was over the penguin exhibit. " We'll land in the water." She wan gratful that enough black swimming feathers had come in to make it in the water.
" I can't swi-"
SPLASH!
Carl struggled bahagian, atas alih his paws in the water. Nitra grabbed his tail and pulled him up on the fake ice-pad. She pushed down on his chest until he coughed up water. He sat up and shook like a wet mop. Nitra laughed and hit Carl on the back.
" That was awesome, High-five!" She held up a flipper, he smiled halfway, revealing small sharp teeth and large canines.
" That was ...kinda fun. In a life-threatening sort of way." He hit her flipper with his wet paw. " Let's do it again!"
" Ahem." A familiar voice interrupted their fun. Nitra looked up to see her mother. She was a tall, feminine penguin with a small orange beak, long eyelashes, and merah jambu blushing cheeks. She was beautiful. Well, to anyone else but Nitra at that moment.
" Hey-Hey Mom. Guess what me and Carl did today..." She looked at Carl nervously as she spoke. He gave a big grin, then disappeared in a trail of smoke.
"Fair-weather friend!" Nitra shouted after him. She turned back to her fuming mother. Shoot...
"Oh..." He mother grabbed her sejak her flipper and drug her inside their habitat. It was a dark brown and shaped like a cave, but was decorated with several kinds of merah jambu quilts, rainbows, and fancy paintings. The room always made Nitra feel queasy to her stomach. She found herself on the floor staring up at an elderly penguin.
" Grandma Gretchen, anda were out there? " She sat up " Did anda see us! It was so cool! We were all like VROOOM and then AAAAAH! SPLASH! Then. Then..." She stopped after picking up the cold stares from her relatives. She frowned and looked down at her webbed feet, an adorable and sad black and gray ball of fluff. " I'm in trouble again, huh?"
" Bingo. Not only did anda catapult yourself through the air, anda endangered anda friend as well! Not to mention swimming when your white swimming feathers haven't come in yet! anda can't swim without them!"
Nitra didn't respond, but grunted in response and shrugged. She could swim just fine with only her black swimming feathers, her mom was just overcautious. What was is Carl said...oh yeah..."It comes from not having a dad," Carl berkata in the tone of a psychiatrist ", because for Penguins, dad's are the lebih motherly types." Mom doesn't know how to handle me atau something, because she is WAY overdoing it.
What else did anda happen to do today? Tell the truth and I might be lenient on your punishment." Rita berkata sharply. Her dark brown eyes narrowed as she stared down at her little chick.
" Um..."
Flashbacks*
*She and Carl setting off firecrackers under the nervous Chimpanzee's habitat. Then getting a lot of banana...and other things... in the face.
*Nitra shooting an epal, apple off of Carl's head with a flaming arrow.
*Nitra and Carl detonating a billboard with leftover fireworks from July Fourth.
*Nitra making a boom box go BOOM. It was playing High school musical.
*Blindfolded pisau throwing practice, missing the target and hitting a very irritable rhino.
*Nitra and Carl running away from a very angry rhino.
*Nitra and Carl in the Animal hospital.
Sneaking out of the Hospital.
*Setting up the catapult with materials gotten from the trash cans around the zoo and the city dump (which was only a few blocks away).
" ...Nothing?"
Her mother face-flippered. Grandmother Gretchen spoke up. She was hunched back, wore a monocle, and spoke in a scratchy voice with a British accent.
" Tsk tsk, anda are not Berlakon as a young lady penguin should." She motioned for Nitra to stand up. The black and gray chick obeyed a slight scowl on her face, knowing what was coming next.
Her grandmother continued. She walked with her flippers behind her back, and beak in the air. " anda come from a long line of Royal penguins. anda are expected to behave with grace, humility, and quietness of spirit. Walk softly, speak gently, and float through life. Knit, read and paint, learn the arts..."
While her grandmother went on and on, Nitra made gagging faces every so often whenever her grandmother was facing away from her. Her mother suppressed her own laughter and managed to give Nitra a look to stop her nonsense.
Her grandmother was still talking" ...So anda see, if anda find anda inner aristocrat, anda shall find your true meaning among the dirty commoners around us. anda can do this, even if your father is..."
" Mother!" Rita exclaimed and put her flipper over Gretchen's beak. Too late.
Nitra stood, wide eyed and open-beaked." Is? But...mom. " She turned to Rita. " anda berkata that dad was eaten sejak a rabid sea lion!"
Thankfully for Rita, a babun ran through the door into their lair. It was Gina, the youngest of the three baboons, and the most energetic, brainless, and superficial. She was average sized for a baboon, had long eyelashes and brown fur. After general greetings (and growls from Nitra at her archenemy) she got down to business.
" 'Kay, Sis told me that she found out that Nitra is getting transferred to the New York Zoo," She looked out the door the back at them." I gotta go, all the Haiwan are having a super big party tonight." She said. She turned to Nitra. " They told me to tell that anda Carl are not invited, because anda guys are freaks. Have a nice last night, loser." She then dashed off through the large metal door.
Nitra grumbled incoherently and pulled a large bat from behind the couch. She walked towards the door with a psychotic smile. Her mom yanked her back and closed the door with a THUD! Nitra shook her head violently, as if she was waking up from a dream.
She looked up at her mother, confused.
" So, whats a "transfer"?"