Tux P. O. V.
Cold. My world was cold the moment I hatched. My dad was quite proud of me, even though I was the last to hatch. I was super hungry, but dad didn't have any food. He said mom had all the food and we'd have to meet her if I wanted to eat. We travelled for what seemed like forever before I met her.
She was beautiful. She talked with my dad, checking him over before her gaze fell on me. Her eyes lit up happily as she cooed over me, praising dad for a job well done. After that, I got my breakfast, and everything was right in the world.
After traveling a bit more, the leader, as my dad told me, picked a spot to stop for awhile. My mom pushed me to be with the other chicks, to make a few friends. I walked around nervously, my feathers itched with discomfort as I felt their eyes fall on me. I looked around anxiously before meeting my mom's glare. I was puzzled at first before her glare hardened and her face flushed in embarrassment.
I'd embarrassed her.
To help mom I gulped down my fear and looked around a moment.
"H-hi" I stuttered shyly.
The other chicks simply returned to their conversations as if nothing had happened. I looked back as mom expecting relief only to be met with disappointment and shame, as she shook her head sadly. I was determined to make a friend for her.
I walked around the group, attempting to worm my way into a conversation, only to be met with a mix of confusion, anger, and awkwardness. I was an outsider, and despite my best efforts, I ended up alone. Tears welled up in my eyes as I waddled back to mom, apologizing over and over for my failure.
***
Soon, months passed and under the love and care of my parents, I grew quite a bit. I didn't need my dad's constant warmth, now that my adult feathers started coming in. I was still unable to make a friend. I found it odd how even though I live in a large group, I feel so lonely. My parents were still there for me though, so at least I wasn't completely alone.
I began hunting classes, lead by one of the elder penguins. He taught us how to properly dive in and a few good hunting techniques. He suggested a simple game: whoever catches the most fish wins. Of course his daughter Nellie was probably going to win but I planned to come as close to her amount as possible.
Diving in for the first time felt amazing. I felt the cool blue water wrap itself around my body, my feathers and fat retaining heat perfectly. Swimming came naturally to me as I swiftly swam after a group of fish with the others. Nellie lead the pack effortlessly and snagged the first fish. Of course, everyone knew her dad gave her extra lessons to impress the other adults.
From there the hunting was a little more chaotic, each penguin zipping almost every direction in pursuit of their own fish. I floated for a moment, my mind attempting to process the craziness going on around me. It wasn't long before I felt the cold Antarctic air blew on my head feathers, snapping me out of my daze. I dove back down before seeing the flicker of silver of an escaping fish. I was quickly in hot pursuit of the fish, dipping and swerving to keep up before I finally managed to catch it. Looking around, the others had begun returning to the surface. I followed them quickly, not wanting to be left behind.
I felt my confidence leave me as I noticed I was the only one who caught a single fish. Everyone else had at least caught two or more. Nellie, as expected, caught the most with a total of five fish. I felt my mom's eyes burning through my skull as her dissatisfaction with my work was evident.
