Chapter 2: Bumpty

Soundtrack: Donkey Kong Country - 'ChristmasCave' by deim0s

It seemed to Abner that he had been walking for days, and for all he knew he really could have been, as the sun didn't set for a couple more months. This, coupled with the fact that Abner had forgot to wear his watch, made judging time in this place very difficult. Still, he kept walking, occasionally checking his compass to make sure he was still headed north.
To top it off, the isolation was starting to get to him. Abner had known it was going to be a lonely journey, but he hadn't counted on just how alone he would feel. With only his bitter regrets and unpleasant thoughts as company, he yearned to have something to distract him as he walked on and on. As it was, the only distraction he had was the occasional ominous cracking sound of having stepped on thin ice, which was never much of a happy surprise. Still, he had been lucky so far in having not slipped in yet, as he could not imagine just how cold he would be if such a thing were to happen.
Walking on and on, Abner started to think of the people and things he had left behind him to come on this quest. His pet duck, Ducky McDuckles, was the first that came to mind; oh, how he loved Ducky McDuckles! But even more important than his duck companion were his group of friends; surely they of all people would have understood his desire to come here, even if they had thought it pointless. They all would have volunteered themselves to come with him, Abner was sure of it. But how could he ask the people he loved to go on this most perilous of adventures with him? No, maybe it was better that he had went alone. And his poor mother; he hadn't even been able to say goodbye to her before he left, not wanting her to know his plan.
Tears abruptly filled Abner's eyes, and he began to run. He ran to try and temporarily relieve himself from this pain, but it didn't work. Still, he kept running and running, running with no real purpose, no purpose aside from getting to whatever destination he was headed towards faster. In his desire to escape everything, Abner hadn't noticed over his heavy breathing that the ice he was now stepping on was starting to crack, the horrible sound getting louder and louder, until suddenly, he stepped on to a spot that broke away completely, and he took the coldest plunge he had ever felt in his life.
His whole body froze up immediately, every ounce of his being screaming in agonizing protest as the icy cold water tore at him from all sides. Abner couldn't think, his body wouldn't move, and his backpack was dragging him ever deeper. He was going to die here, drowned at the north pole, and no one would ever find him, ever know why a young boy had been here by himself, because there was no one here to help him.
Suddenly, Abner felt a weight pulling him upwards, and before he knew it, he was hitting the surface of the water, and then unceremoniously tossed back on to the ice. He heard a splash, meaning that his savior had just come out of the icy depths, and was now dragging him towards a more solid ground. Still finding it hard to even breathe, let alone move, Abner let this stranger have complete control of him; he was just thankful to be alive.
The stranger lightly let Abner go, but Abner could still hear him moving forward. Within a minute, he heard the crackling sound of a fire, and then he was being dragged towards its warmth. Finally realizing how cold he was, Abner laid next to the fire in absolute silence, trying to gather as much warmth from it as he could. After what could have been either a few short minutes or many long hours, Abner slowly rose himself up into a sitting position, and saw, with a start, that his rescuer was not a human, but rather the cutest penguin he had ever seen in his life, which was saying something, because looking up pictures of cute penguins was a favorite hobby of his.
"You...you s-saved me?" Abner asked incredulously.
"Always the tone of surprise with you humans," the penguin replied, though warmly.
"But, but, how...?"
"My dear boy," the penguin laughed. "Do you ask a fish why it swims?"
Abner shook his head.
"Or a bird why it flies?"
Again, Abner shook his head.
"No siree you don't. They do it because they were born to do it. Just like Bumpty, yours truly, was born to help those in need. And you definitely don't look like you were born to tread the dangers of the north pole my lad. So, tell me why you're so far from home by yourself."