Chapter Text
Two steps, breathe in. Two steps, breathe out. A steady rhythm to accompany a lonely trek up a winding snowy trail. Two steps, breathe in. Her face cast downward to avoid the sharp wind, Celia continued her walk in the shadow of a looming ridge, careful not to bump the equipment on her back onto nearby ice. Two steps— Her breath turned into a gasp as she stumbled. Her feet scrambled for a foothold, eventually catching on a snowdrift. Her foot had landed on a particularly thin patch of snow and slipped on the frozen rock underneath. The fall wouldn’t have killed her, of course, but any serious injury this far from camp was a death sentence.
Her heart was racing, and having lost her rhythm it took her a second to remember to breathe. She paused to recover and adjust her scarf, letting out a sigh which was deeper than she intended. Not a single other soul was in sight, save for the wildlife dotting the snowy steps—Just the same as it had been for the past year. Intrusive thoughts started to run through her head; how long would it take them to notice if she died out here?
Celia pulled her camera up over the frozen ridge. Blocking out the setting sun with one hand, she uncapped it and fiddled with the zoom dial. The rocky bluff in front of her slowly came into focus, then suddenly shifted offscreen as the lens drifted up to the cloudless sky.
“Stupid thick gloves,” she mumbled, mostly from habit. When she’d first started her research last fall she’d hated the thick layers that protected her from the harsh Antarctic winter. Now she barely noticed the massive wool scarf, even as it made her glasses fog up from the moisture in her breath. You get used to anything with enough time, Celia thought.
Trying again, she stabilized the camera and recalibrated the zoom. The resolution was just high enough to pick out a small black head looking at her expectantly. Celia smiled, made sure she was recording, then scrambled down the small slope ahead of her. It was slick, but she stepped confidently along it, her feet settling into secure grooves from a well-worn path.
Celia bent down as the penguin waddled to close the distance between them. “Hey there, Pablo!” she cooed as she ran her hand along his back, feeling his sleek feathers shift back as the bird lifted its head. He looked happy and healthy, and seemed like he’d put on some weight recently from the hunting season.
Well, not just from hunting, Celia thought with a smile. She reached into her backpack and brought out a small packet of krill. Pablo followed her movement, eyeing the small pouch carefully. When Celia brought her hand back he was ready, snapping the krill she’d tossed out of the air with a quick snap of his beak. He chirped delightedly, then looked back to Celia, his happy eyes locked onto the human’s hand in expectation. She reached back into her pack like she was putting the packet away, but Pablo cuffed her arm with his wing, fixing her with a baleful glare.
“You got me,” Celia said wryly, and threw the last few scraps of krill out on the ice. Pablo chirped at her, and she wondered if she was imagining the scolding tone in his voice. Then he took off, sliding down the shallow slope on his stomach. He stood up and looked around, swiveling his head carefully, then cawed triumphantly as he located the last piece and snatched it up.
Celia took advantage of the distraction to zip her backpack back up, making sure to seal it tight so the smell of the krill packaging wouldn't seep through and attract any more hungry penguins. She wasn't really supposed to be feeding them, but she had gotten quite attached to these two. Besides, it was… nice to have some company on her long treks across the mountain.
She slipped her arms back through the straps as she stood, her gaze lifting to the rocks where she’d first seen Pablo. Normally he would be accompanied by his mate, Maya, but she was nowhere to be seen. Squinting, she thought she could just make out Maya nestled in the rock nest. She shrugged and began to pick her way over the path, only glancing up to watch Pablo propelling himself across the ice beside her.
When they reached the rocky alcove, it was clear something was different than usual. Maya was hunched over awkwardly, her sleek feathers motionless against the snowy backdrop. Pablo reached her first, and leaned over to look at something by her feet. When his feathers shifted, Celia could see something white stood apart from the white of the feathers on Maya’s belly. She had laid an egg!
The egg sat nestled under Maya’s feathers, sheltered from the harsh southern wind. This was Maya’s first time laying an egg, and she looked proudly at Pablo, who was still carefully inspecting the egg. Keeping her distance, Celia took a few more pictures of the happy couple than strictly necessary, then gave a smile as she began walking out toward the rocky structures that housed the other penguins she tracked.
Even with the promise of spring around the corner, hours of sunlight were rare, and Celia made sure to head back before dark. She had left her cameras in place to record the penguins overnight, as well as a series of instruments along the coast to measure the weather. After that, it was time for her daily trek back to her little house—at least, it felt little to her. The station was actually designed to house four people, but the winter season never had more than one or two. Celia’s job mostly just involves maintaining the meteorological equipment and keeping tabs on the local penguin colonies, and that’s more than enough to keep her busy every day.
In fact, it was nearly dark by the time Celia got back to the station. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be cutting it this close without anybody else on the island as backup, but she liked spending time with the penguins, and she usually fell asleep soon after typing up her daily notes anyway. At least today her notes would be interesting. Before she even took her coat off Celia was at her desk, detailing all the observations she made that day. When she finished, she drafted a quick email to her supervisor, Kevin.
Adélie Key Station Update
Maya has laid an egg! She seems to be healthy, and judging by the behavior of the parents it must have been laid right before I got there. Attached are pictures of Maya and Pablo incubating the egg, and I have the Canon focused on their section of the colony to track any updates as they happen. The rest of the colony seems to be eating well, and the springtime “warmth” has been welcomed by all of us. I hope you are doing well back in the real world. Do you have any ideas about what I should name the baby penguin when it hatches? Let me know if you think of anything!
-Celia
As soon as she hit send, Celia shut off the computer and went to bed. As a result, she didn’t see the email sent less than a minute after hers, tagged Adélie Key Station Update - Important!