Pip slid across the ice on his belly. A! E! I! O! U! he chirped. The ice creaked — but that wasn't from his voice.
'A! E! I! O! U!' Pip slid harder, his beak wide. A crack split the ice ahead. He squeezed his eyes shut.
Something rustled above. An old owl landed on a kelp frond. 'You say ick like it's uck,' she hooted.
'Listen closer,' the owl said. Pip blinked. He tried again. 'Ship!' he called. 'Chip!' he squeaked.
A shiny fish tail flickered in the water — then vanished. Pip's ears perked up. He leaned closer.
'Ship! Chip!' Pip called louder. The kelp swayed. 'Fish!' he cried. The water exploded.
A whole school of fish — silver and glittering — burst from the kelp below. Pip stared, his beak still open.
Pip slid to a stop on his belly. The fish shimmered around his flippers. 'Fish,' he whispered.
'Fish!' he said again, just to hear it. The ice hummed. The kelp shivered. Pip smiled.
The old owl hooted softly and rose into the air. Pip waved a flipper. 'See?' she said. 'Listen closer.'
Pip watched the owl fly away. He looked down at the water. 'Fish,' he said once more.
The ice hummed under him. Pip lay down and listened. A! E! I! O! U! The water answered back.