“Gather round ladies and gentlemen” the zookeeper announced, “the last show of the day is about to begin!”
Dr Jenkins was still struggling to accept the predicament he was now in. He squawked in annoyance as he waddled around on his two little legs. Some of the crowd made ‘awwww’ sounds, clearly finding him more adorable than intimidating.
Jenkins’ mood wasn’t improved when he was approached by some of the exhibit’s other residents. Some of them chirped to greet him, while a few bumped and rubbed against him in a friendly, playful manner.
Jenkins continued to squawk as he swatted a few of them away, basically telling them ‘fuck off!’
Some of the birds were stunned by this as they waddled away, although a few continued to stare at him in a way that made him feel uneasy. However, the doctor didn’t have long to dwell on this before the zookeeper piped up again.
“Thank you for waiting patiently ladies and gentlemen. You will now be rewarded with a very special display. You are about to witness the courtship behaviour of the Humboldt Penguin!”
Jenkins scoffed as the crowd cheered. What sort of perverts were into watching penguins making out?
“Now then,” the keeper continued, “two of our newest residents here at the park are about to have their first date. Max and Jen may be a little shy but perhaps we can encourage them with a warm round of applause?!”
Jenkins felt increasingly uneasy as the crowd clapped and cheered. Was the announcer talking about him? Was his name ‘Max’ now? Did they want him to fuck a girl penguin in front of all these people!?
Jenkins backed away from the crowd, not wanting to be a part of this sick act. However he unwittingly bumped into another penguin that was standing behind him. He turned to look at the dumb bird, only he soon sensed that there was an unnerving intelligence in its eyes. He felt a chill run up his back as he realised that this penguin had once been human, just like him.
However, there was something else that intrigued him. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but being with this particular penguin made him feel at ease. He continued to stare at the bird as it too seemed to be strangely attracted to him.
“Awwww, I think they like each other!” The crowd laughed and made more ‘awww’ sounds as they watched the two penguins start to get to know each other.
Jenkins heard the crowd’s reaction, but didn’t lose his focus as he watched the bird in front of him. He presumed this was Jen based on the keeper’s earlier announcement. Something about her stood out compared to the other penguins. Sure she was cute and friendly, but she also made him feel strangely comfortable and at-home. He instinctively chirped out to her playfully, and she quickly reciprocated with her own greeting. Before long the two birds were having a sort of conversation, which drew more ‘ooos’ and ‘ahhhs’ from the spectators.
“Well they seem to be quite fond of each other already,” the announcer continued. “Did you know that penguins all have a unique song, which helps them to identify each other. When they find hopeful mates, the two birds first learn each other’s call, after which it is common for them to groom each other.”
As if she had been listening to the lecture herself, Jen hopped right next to Jenkins before she started to nip and peck with her beak as she ran it through his feathers. To his surprise it actually felt rather good. Soon he felt the strange urge to return the favour. Before long he was exploring the other penguin’s plumage with his beak as he carefully preened her.
To his shock, Jenkins started to feel unusual inside as he and his partner continued to get to know each other. His feelings of familiarity and belonging had intensified greatly now that he was starting to get more intimate with the other bird. However, this was soon joined by another powerful sensation. It could best be described as a warm tingling feeling that started deep inside him and radiated through his whole body. He shuddered and wagged his tail as he started to shut everything else out aside from the penguin beside him.
After a few more minutes, the zookeeper spoke up again. “Well folks, I think Jen and Max are enjoying spending time with each other. The courtship ritual can last for two or three hours, after which the male is either rejected or gets to mate with the female. Since we don’t want to put our young lovers off, I think that’s where we should wrap up the show. Thank you for coming ladies and gentleman and have a good evening…”