Aries Parries Queries

Private stretched his newly-honed pecs, abs and delts as he bent back and forth. Skipper assumed he used the confidence gained by exercise and burgeoning maturity to interject, "K'walski, cryin' is bad for morale, we all know it and so does Skippa. There must be a heapin' good reason why Skippa goes along with the Big Boss this time 'cause he's disobeyed orders before he disagreed with, innat right?"

Rico held his tongue, flippers crossed obstinately. He still nodded, though, at Private's assessment of the level of devotion Skipper lavished on his team and how insubordination reared its head now and again, or at least Skipper assumed so.

Skipper cleared his throat. This was going off the rails fast. "Boys, we go camping in Central Park Zoo after we turn on our holographic selves. The Big Boss says camping is the perfect setting, complete with a roaring fire, for unburdening ourselves of long-held angst, crying and screaming and beating the ground with sticks, and catholic tears. She suggested drums, too."

Kowalski still looked doubtful. "You mean cathartic, sir. As your second, I must express reservations regarding the new drill."

"Noted and logged, Kowalski. Rig the hologram projector, stat. That's an order. Rico, check your gut for camping supplies and Private, bring marshmallows and our BlackBerry sets." As all good leaders did, Skipper headed topside without looking behind him to see if he were being followed. Fifteen minutes later, a shimmery quartet of penguins smiled and waved in the growing dusk as the real ones beat feet for the great outdoors and freedom to cry.

IOIOIOIOIO

In like a lion, out like a lamb, Skipper mused as March morphed into April. A pleasant night breeze in Hallett Nature Sanctuary whipped up their fire to spew sparks upwards; the team might not be perfectly satisfied, but he was. He was certain he understood the drill. Actually, he wanted to get it over with quickly and return to base, yet since his team gave him such static, he needed to reassure them. After all, this was not a new weapon or marching formation to learn, but a personal drill unlike any other.

Rico laughed when Kowalski's marshmallow caught fire.

Kowalski scowled at his teammate and grumped, "I must report a breakthrough, sir. I've been on other camping trips where I felt like crying, screaming, and beating not only the ground with sticks but my fellow campers. I kept the feelings to myself, just choked them down for weeks on end. I became insensitive." He threaded on another marshmallow after gulping the blackened one. "Nobody noticed." Rico's sympathetic awwwww eased the path that edged towards camaraderie. "Is this what you wanted, sir?"

It was time to bolster spirits, smooth the waters and confess because perhaps tears could grow from this. "I'm not sure. I'll play psychologist. I took Psych One-oh-one in OCS."

"That doesn't sound like much." Of all birds on his team, he'd not expected these words from Private. All the exercise must have sharpened his Critique Streak.

"I took it twice."

"Well, okay then!"

IOIOIOIOIO

TBC