Chapter 3

Brody was flying high along the river, just enjoying the warm weather Big Swirl Island always offered and just being he's calm, mellow self.

"Primo day for some surfing. I wonder what the others are doing?" He pondered as he continued to fly along the river's path. 

As he continued to fly, he spotted a blue bird wearing an orange shirt perched on a high branch of a tall tree.

"There's Swift." He said, as he flew over to the blue jay.

Swift didn't hear Brody come up behind him, as he continued watching something in the water.

"Hey Swift! What's mmmpph." Brody was cut off by the startled blue jay who quickly covered his beak with his wing.

"Shhh. Keep it down, Brody." Swift whispered, as he removed his wing from his friend's beak.

"That was so not primo, dude." Brody whispered with a scowl.

"Sorry." Swift apologized, then turned to continue watching what he was watching.

"What are you looking at?" Brody asked, as he sat next to his friend and followed his line of sight.

"N-nothing." Swift replied.

When Brody looked to see what his friend was looking at, he saw Penny and Anyu playing in the water.

"Are you spying on Penny?" Brody asked, looking back at Swift.

"N-no. Why'd you think that?" Swift replied, his cheeks turning a bit pink. 1

Brody picked up on the stutter and noticed the change of color on his friend's face. He looked back at the penguin and polar bear playing together, then back at his friend.

"No way. Dude, do you like Penny?" Brody asked.

"O-of course I like Penny. She's my friend." Swift replied.

"You know what I mean, dude." Brody said, giving him a knowing half-lidded look.

"N-no!... Maybe.... Yes." Swift quietly admitting with a frown.

"Dude, how long have you been like this?" Brody asked.

Swift sighed. "For quite some time now." he replied.

"How long is 'some time'?" Brody asked.

Swift groaned. "A year... or more." 1

"A YE--!" Brody's beak was quickly covered by Swift. They looked down and saw Penny and Anyu looking around.

With Penny and Anyu

"Did you hear that, Penny?" Anyu asked.

"Hear what?" Penny asked.

"I thought I heard something." Anyu said, as they looked around to see if they saw anything.

"I guess it was nothing. I'm probably just hearing things." she said. They got back to playing after not seeing anything.

With Swift and Brody

Swift gave a relieved sigh and removed his wing from Brody's beak.

"Sorry." Brody apologized. "But dude, a year? How come you never said anything? At least to me and Rod."

"I was confused. I always saw Penny like a little sister. But as we got older, I started to feel different about her. I needed time to understand what I was feeling." Swift explained.

What it sounds like. Ask away!

"And you found out, that..." Brody pressed on.

Swift sighed. "I'm in love with her." he sadly admitted, looking down at Penny.

Brody frowned seeing his friend's expression. He looked to Swift, then Penny and back to Swift.

"Dude... looks and sounds like you've fallen pretty hard for her." Brody said.

Swift sighed and nodded. "I've been trying to figure out how to tell her for a while now. I mean, we all know almost everything about each other. Our likes, dislikes, fears. My fear has always been, not being able to fly anymore. But... now I have a new fear. Being rejected by my best friend who I've fallen in love with, and possibly ruin our friendship." he said.

"I don't think so. Knowing Penny, she's not going to let something like that ruin her friendships. The worst she could say is 'no' to your feelings because she doesn't feel the same, but she will want to keep being your friend. Besides, I'm sure she'll say 'yes'." Brody stated.

"How are you so sure?" Swift asked.

"The two of you are really close. I know we are all best friends, but you and Penny have been really close since we first met. Honestly, I would be surprised if she said 'no'." Brody replied.

"I guess. But, how can I tell her how I feel about her. I've been trying to think of something that won't seem like I'm asking her out on a date." Swift stated.

They thought for a while, until Brody got an idea.

"Hey, I just got a primo idea! Let's head back to headquarters. I'll explain there." Brody said, as he flew off the branch and began to make his way back to headquarters.

Swift looked to Brody as he flew off, then looked back down at Penny, still playing with Anyu. He sighed, got up, and flew off to catch up with Brody.

With Penny and Anyu

"Ok, they're gone." Anyu told Penny.

Penny turned around and looked up and saw Swift and Brody flying away. She gave a relieved sigh.

"It was really hard for me to not look in their direction." Penny said.

"Penny, if Swift likes you more than a friend, don't you think he's probably just really nervous and afraid to tell you?" Anyu asked.

"I really do think that. He's always been kind, gentle and helpful to everyone. But he's not as outgoing as I am." Penny replied.

"But, if you know that, why don't you tell him how you feel about him?" Anyu suggested.

"I would, but that's not the penguin way. Besides, he's cute when he's nervous." Penny replied with a giggle.

"Ok. But what if he doesn't tell you?" Anyu asked.

"When I'm tired of waiting, I'll tell him." Penny replied. "Besides, maybe with Brody's help, he'll get the courage to tell me... I hope."

"Hey, how about we head to The Lemon Shack and get some kelp-icers to cheer you up." Anyu suggested.

"Ok! Let's go!" Penny exclaimed, as they made their way to The Lemon Shack.

With Swift and Brody

When Swift and Brody got back to Headquarters, they met Rod who had just got back from The Lemon Shack.

"Say WHAT!" Rod exclaimed, after being told of Swift's situation. They were in their sleeping quarters. "Why didn't you tell us?! I thought we were friends!"

Swift stood before his friends, nervously rubbing his left wing with his right hand.

"We are! It's just..." Swift didn't know what to say.

"It's ok, Swift. I think I get it. I was just caught up in the moment of surprise." Rod told him.

"Eh heh. Right. Anyway, Brody? What was the idea you had?" Swift asked.

"Right. This will be perfect for you to tell Penny how you feel. Remember co-pilot training?" Brody asked.

"Yea. Penny was -" Swift paused, catching on to what Brody was suggesting. "Oohhh..."

"I see you're catching on." Brody stated.

"Yea. Penny was so fascinated by the view, she couldn't focus on the training mission. And since that was a training mission, she didn't get a chance to really take in most of it. I can fly her around the island to see what it looks like from the sky!" Swift exclaimed excitedly.

"And to end it, you can bring her to the top of Snow Cap Mountain and watch the sunset." Brody suggested.

"And that's when you'll confess." Rod added in.

"He he. Right..." Swift said, unsurely.

"You'll be fine." Brody assured. "Although, you're gonna have to give her something."

"Why's that?" Rod asked.

"It's penguin tradition. When a male wants to court a female, he has to give her the best possible gift to prove himself." Brody explained. "Got anything in mind, Swift?"

Swift's face was almost as red as Rod's Road-Wing, as he gave his friends a shy smile.

"Waaait. You mean you have something?" Brody asked.

Swift said nothing and flew over to his bed bunk. He opened one of the drawers and pulled out a small blue rectangular box. He flew back down to his friends, whose beaks opened wide in shock when they saw the box in Swift's hands.

"I uh... did a bit of research of the penguin courting ritual." Swift explained, still blushing.

"Woah. You're really serious. Whatever you have in there has to be super primo." Brody stated.

"Can we see it?" Rod eagerly asked.

Swift nodded and opened the box. Inside was a two-piece set of a shell necklace and bracelet, with kelp-icer pendants.

"I uh... m-made them myself..." Swift said.

"Wooooah..." Brody awed.

"Cock-a-doodle [whistles]..."Rod whistled in awe.

"Dude, if she says 'no', I'm going to cry. These are super SUPER primo!"

"I agree." Rod stated.

"Thanks guys." Swift said, as he closed the box. "I just need to ask her out. I was thinking of doing it tomorrow since it's our last day off."

"Primo idea." Brody agreed. "Best of luck."

"Yea. You can cock-a-doodle DO it!" Rod encouraged.

"Thanks guys." Swift smiled.

The Next Day

"Hey, Penny. Got anything planned for today?" Swift asked the penguin.

"Nope. I was actually planning to spend the day with you guys, since it's our last day off." Penny replied.

"Well, you and Swift have fun. Rod and I have plans for today." Brody said.

"We do?" Rod asked. Brody gave him a bored look. "Oh! Right. Forgot about that. He he."

"We'll see you two later." Brody said as he walked off, followed by Rod.

"So, what did you have in mind?" Penny asked Swift, once the two were gone.

"I thought I'd give you a proper tour of Big Swirl from the sky, since you didn't really get a chance to enjoy it last time." Swift said.

Penny gasped and her eyes widened with excitement. "Really!? I'd love to! It'll be super cool! The last... well, the only time I was up there was when we were training for our co-pilot badges. I didn't get a chance to really enjoy the view."

Swift chuckled. "Yea, I know. We've been so busy with training, I never got a chance to give you a proper ride."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Penny exclaimed, belly sliding to her elevator.

"This is your chance, Swift. Don't screw it up." Swift thought as he flew over to his elevator.

They both got into their gear, jumped into the Flash-wing and took off.

"Hang on tight. I want to show you something before the tour. Going turbo!" Swift said. Penny giggled.

Swift flew the Flash-wing off the island. When they were a fair distance away he told Penny to cover her eyes. When she did, he did a 180 degree turn and kept the jet suspended while facing the island.

"Ok, you can look now." Swift told her.

Penny uncovered her eyes. She gasped and her eyes widened in awe.

"Wooowww.... That's Big Swirl Island...?" she asked in absolute awe. Swift nodded. "It's soooo  beautiful. I can see almost everything from here. There's Snow Cap Mountain, and Echo Canyon, Danger Canyon, Hidden Cove, Shipwreck Gully. It's all so amazing." Penny continued in awe.

"You're amazing." Swift thought with a smile.

"I could stay up here forever. It's just soo cool." Penny excitedly stated.

Swift chuckled. "If you think this is cool, wait till you see all those places up close from the air."

Penny gave a happy gasp, while Swift hit the turbo button and flew back towards the island.

They spent the whole day flying over all the places on the island, except Danger Canyon since it was a 'no flying zone', but Penny really enjoyed the view of the island from the air. She was in absolute awe of everything.

Their last stop was Snow Cap Mountain. The sun was beginning to set, signifying the day coming to an end. Swift landed the Flash-wing on the highest point of the mountain and opened up the hatch, allowing the cool mountain air to pass over them.

"This is soo cool! Literally!" Penny exclaimed, as she jumped out of the Flash-wing and started playing in the snow.

Swift chuckled and flew out after her. He landed on one of the rocks that was barely covered in snow and smiled while watching Penny play in the snow. He turned away from her for a moment to look at the sunset and was suddenly hit with some snow on the side of his head.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, as he looked back at the playful penguin.

Penny giggled and threw another snowball at him, which he quickly dodged.

"Oh, now you're gonna get it." Swift smiled as he picked up some snow and began throwing snowballs her, which resulted in the two having a snowball fight.

The fight lasted a few minutes, ending with Swift giving up after getting hit so many times by the skilled penguin. Penny giggled and belly slid over to the blue jay who was wiping the snow off his suit and feathers.

"You ok, Swift?" Penny asked.

"Yea, I'm ok. That was fun though." Swift smiled, then looked behind Penny.

Penny turned to look and her eyes and beak opened in awe. The sun was half-way in setting over the horizon.

"Woow.." She awed, sliding over to a rock and sat down to really admire the view. Swift smiled and flew over and sat next to her, and looked out at the sunset as well.

"Today was absolutely AMAZING! It was the best, best day ever! Thank you, Swift." Penny said, as she looked up and smiled at the blue jay.

"You're welcome, Penny. It was my pleasure." Swift replied with a smile. 

They continued to watch the sunset. After a moment of comfortable silence, Swift spoke up.

"Um, Penny?" he said to get her attention. Penny looked up at him. 

"I uh... have something... to tell you." he nervously started.

"What is it?" Penny asked.

Swift took a deep breath and exhaled to calm himself. 

"Ok Swift, you can do this." he thought.

"We've... known each other for quite a while and have become best friends. We know almost everything about each other and always looked out for one another. We've all gotten really close to each other. For the first few years we've spent together at the academy, I've... always looked at you like a little sister. But... as time went on, and we got older, I started to feel... different... towards you. My feeling for you as a friend, changed. It took a while, but I realized that... I had fallen for you, Penny. I'm... I'm in love with you. I'll understand if you don't feel the same, but I had to get this off my chest. And if you don't, I hope it doesn't ruin the great friendship that we have." Swift confessed.

Penny listened attentively while Swift spoke and poured his heart out. She wasn't expecting him to confess like that. She smiled at him and giggled.

"Took you long enough." Penny replied.

Swift's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-you knew? How?"

"I realized you've been acting differently around me. I got a bit worried and was going to ask you if everything was ok. When I went to look for you, you were in the shower and I... accidentally heard you admit to yourself how you felt about me." Penny admitted.

Swift frowned and looked away, looking down at the snow.

"I couldn't tell you that I knew, because -

"...It's not the penguin way." Swift cut her off.

"Right. So I waited until you were ready to tell me." Penny said.

"What if I took too long to tell you?" Swift asked, looking back at her

"Then I was going to do it." Penny replied. "Because... I'm in love with you too, Swift. And... I have been for quite some time. You don't know this, but some of the penguins from my home who are around our age have called me to try to court me. I turned all of them down, because, I was waiting for you." she admitted.

Swift was surprised to hear that. He could have lost her to so many others, but smiled to know that she turned them down for him.

"I uh, I have something... for you." Swift said, as he dug into his pocket and pulled out the small blue box. He opened it and presented it to her. Penny gasp when she saw what was inside. A necklace and a bracelet made out of seashells with kelp-icer pendants. She pulled out the necklace and admired it.

"Swift... this is... how did... where did..." Penny was at a loss for words, which was a first.

"I... made them myself. Here, let me put them on for you." Swift said, putting the necklace and bracelet on her. Penny admired the gifts, the kelp-icer pendants shined in the light of the setting sun.

"They're amazing... and absolutely beautiful, Swift." Penny said, smiling up at him.

"Not as beautiful and amazing as you, Penny." Swift smiled in reply. "I'm glad you like them."

"I don't like them, I love them! But, I love you even more." Penny said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. 

Swift's eyes widened in surprise as he brought his hand on his cheek. He didn't expect her to do that. Penny giggled at his reaction. He smiled at her, and kissed her on her forehead

"I love you, too, Penny. Thanks for waiting for me." Swift told her, as they embraced each other while enjoying the rest of the sunset.