Penguin Sledding

Chapter 1- Penguin Sledding

Kya awoke surrounded by ice. Ice and snow. Just like she did every morning. But that was what she had come to expect living amongst the ice encrusted tundra of the South Pole. She rolled off of the mat she slept on; rising to her feet she felt a cold chill wash over her.

Her thin underclothes doing little to help hold the freezing cold at bay. She dressed quickly, eager to add more layers to help her fight back the bitter cold which plagued her home. She rubbed her sides fiercely, the friction warming her quickly as the dull numbness which threatened to consume her entire body began to subside. “Hey Kya!” A voice as young and feral as a wild as the Tundra Wolfs that plagued the ice sheets outside the village. She knew of only one person who it could be.

As if too confirm her suspicions the villages star young water tribe warrior sporting a rough Wolf’s tail holding back his dark brown locks. “Oh there you are” He said jokingly. Kya scrambled to cover herself with her outer coat. Of course living in the South Pole meant that you took it upon yourself to ensure the amount of skin exposed fully to the elements, and the prying eyes of others, was kept to a minimum. “Nice too see you up bright and early as always” He smirked.

“Get out of here!” She screeched, throwing the closest blunt object she could lay her hands on, in this case one of her boats. Hatkoda retracted his head quickly, avoiding the incoming barrage with little effort. Kya rose to her feet, throwing her thick coat over her and charging towards the fabric curtain that concealed the entrance to her home. She leapt through the door, hoping to slam into Hatkoda and thrust him into the snow in a bid for revenge.

But instead she ended up crashing face first into the snow. Hatkoda chuckled gleefully behind her, enjoying watching his girlfriend flounder in the snow like a trapped Lion Turtle. Kya balled her hand into a fist, compacting the snow into a tough projectile. She rolled herself onto her back, arcing her arm upwards, letting the snowball continue forwards. Hatkoda simply side stepped the clumsy attack with insulting sluggishness. He smiled “Missed me” Kya lunged at him with another snowball, a clean miss.

She growled in frustration. In a fit of rage she scrambled to her feet, charging Hatkoda. He turned and ran, Kya giving chase. They stormed through the village, dodging unwary people and other obstacles which crossed their path, with Hatkoda leading the charge and Kya tailing him.

Hatkoda lead his girl on one hell of a chase, leading her through the twisting pathways carved into the ice fields. But there was one thing Hatkoda hadn’t counted on when challenging Kya too a game of Cat and Mouse- Kya had was light weight and fast. And speed plus light equals flight.

Kya leapt on top of one of the frozen humps, jumping into the air with a graceful glide. Kya tackled Hatkoda to the ground, utilizing his unbalance to drop him too the ground. The two of them skidded through the cold environment, finally coming to a stop in the snow.

Kya stepped to her feet, Hatkoda rising on shaky feet to face her. “Alright, you caught me. What’d you wanna do?”

Kya looked past him, smirking. She raised her hand and pointed past him. He turned to face what she was indicating; noticing a flock of Tiger Penguins huddled in a clearing. He turned to face her, matching her smirk. “Let’s sled some birds”
  
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Kya and Hatkoda hid behind one of the snow dunes that pocketed the ice field they stood on. The creatures before them huddled together for warmth and protection. Kya remained hidden, analysing the flock, looking out for her choice of specimen, ensuring we’re not going to spook them. Hatkoda however had another idea. Completely throwing the concept of stealth to the wind he leapt from his hiding place, charging the herd. However he was easily spotted and avoided. The creatures waddled away, squawking in annoyance as he crashed into the snow.

Kya shook her head in dismay “Typical cocky male” Kya stepped out of her hiding place, the element of surprise completely dissipated anyway. Hatkoda removed his head from the snow, shaking the flakes clear. “This is how you catch a penguin” Kya lowered herself onto her knee, extending her hand, attempting to appear as non-threatening as possible. She clicked her tongue, calling the creatures towards her. A group of the flock broke away, chirping happily as they approached her.

They all huddled around her; Kya returned the joyous attention they were flourishing on her. “How’d you ever do that?”

Kya opened her palm, revealing the sardine lying in her hand. The Tiger penguins scrambled around her, nuzzling their noses in an attempt to get at the small offered treat. “That’s cheating” Hatkoda groaned.

Kya mounted her penguin, preparing to launch down the snowy bank. “You’re just jealous cause you didn’t think of it” She slipped closer to the edge of the bank. “Catch me if you can” She taunted him, finally slipping herself over the precarious edge, diving into the abyss.

Hatkoda smirked with confidence, never one to resist a challenge “Oh it is on”

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Kya smirked, her hair tailing lazily behind her as she glided down the smooth bank, confident that she’d gave Hatkoda the slip. “Not yet you haven’t” Hatkoda laughed. Kya turned to see Hatkoda had already caught up with her, riding his own penguin. Kya leaned down lower, accelerating her penguin down the slope. Hatkoda matched her speed. Kya turned her penguin, angling it into the opening of a dark tunnel that punctured out of the frozen terrain. Hatkoda followed her into the darkened tunnel, the light piercing through the cracks streaking over them as they passed down the tunnel.    

The two of them burst out of the tunnel together, their penguins gliding gracefully through the air, crashing harshly into the snow. The force knocked Kya from the creatures back, collapsing into the snow. Hatkoda loomed over her, smirking down at her. “Looks like I won” He smiled.

Kya jumped to her feet, tackling Hatkoda to the ground, pinning him into the snow with powerful force. “Ok, you win”

She left an innocent peck on his lips “You’re so sweet”