A Decision Filled With Peril

After their argument, Cesk stayed in his rock hole the next day. It wasn't until he spotted Vivien, shuffling around outside that he emerged. He had formulated a plan, but it would be at great risk. There might even be peril.
Cesk had dreamt of great big coloured icebergs, and squinted into the daylight expecting to see some floating freely next to the island.
“It's lovely out here,” he sighed.
Vivien did not agree.
“The sky, the sea it's all the same colour. You look into it for fish, and hopefully you find some and eat it. Nothing special there.”
Cesk was getting frustrated. Was nobody willing to believe in anything here? He lowered his beak.
“That's it.”
“What?”
“I'm leaving the pack, for the Horde.”
“Good luck, fluffy head.” Vivien said, ruffling his head with her paw.
“Doesn't anyone want to be happy around here?” He held up his flippers. “You are named after someone important, right?”
“That's what they say. A very famous human actress.” Vivien sat down, lifted her leg and began to itch her belly. It was very difficult to talk seriously when she did that.
“So why don't you lead the pack to somewhere easier? To somewhere warmer.”
Vivien stopped mid-scratch. “Warm equals people equals the circus.” She shrugged, as much as a circus bear can. “You know we can't go anywhere near the circus...”
Cesk balled up one flipper. “Why don't you fight, why doesn't anyone?”
Vivien began to laugh, a loud husky sound. “Not everyone loves to argue as much as you. We're circus bears, we juggle and dance and sing. Fighting isn't really in us any more.”
Cesk kicked the ground with one foot, and folded his flippers, but this just made Vivien laugh louder. “You've got enough fight in you for all of us, Cesk. You survived, until Marlene wanted to boil you and eat you. You might just be right.”
Cesk widened his eyes, and unfolded his flippers. This was a rare moment. “You mean you believe in the Horde?”
Vivien stood up and shook the ice from her behind. It showered Cesk in ice crystals which settled on his beak. “I said you might be right.” The small penguin's shoulders slumped. “But that doesn't mean they don't exist.” Vivien added quickly. “They might.”
A huge grin spread across Cesk's face. His cheeks glowed, and it wasn't just because his face was starting to go numb from the cold. He waddled off, whistling to himself.
“I've never seen them though.” Vivien said to herself. It was difficult to imagine the Penguin Horde in all their glory. Thousands of determined little fuzzy- headed creatures just like Cesk. But she did imagine it, and found herself smiling for the first time in a long while.

Back in the circus days, a few of the troupe were famous for one act, and one act only, and that was the fabulous bears dressed as penguins trick, fired from cannons. Yes, the band of grizzlies all had penguin costumes. Funny, considering that their future was going to be filled with them.

They zipped up at the belly button, had fuzzy headed hoods, and attachable beaks, because the one thing that bears don't have are detachable beaks. Vivien was part of this act, that involved the smaller ones dancing to a piece of guitar and trumpet music, until the audience were laughing so much they rolled out the cannons, and fired them over the heads of the crowd.

Bears, Penguins, Gunpowder, Danger. That was the poster. Nothing ever went wrong, until one of the bears took the wrong sized costume, and the zip became jammed in the wrong place, and then another bear tried to help and the zips got stuck together at the behind. . . Vivien shoved them out from behind the curtain at the last minute, announcing them as identical twins.

The bear didn't know how the rest of the huddle would take Cesk's news, but she suspected there might be enormous peril, and she didn't know whether Cesk would be able to handle it. He was an orphan after all, even if he did like arguing and fighting.