A monochromatic equine stared out listlessly at the stars hanging above his head. A dark outline of numerous tents and a train splayed out far behind him as he lay on his stomach, the forming dew cool and refreshing on his abdomen. Condensation did little to ease his gnawing doubts, however.

'Man...still can't believe how big this world is...I'm pretty sho' we've already been over half of it in the past month,' he finished his thought with a lighthearted smirk.

But then a second thought came and wiped that smirk right into oblivion: 'But what now...?'

Good question...

To many folks, such an inquiry would have sounded absurd, stupid and ungrateful even, especially after all the experiences and epiphanies Marty and his friends had endured in the past six years. Yet even to the zebra, the miasma of chaos and danger he and his patchwork zoo friends faced time and time again still seemed like a half-baked tall tale.

'Too bad it's already took me 'bout half my life to figure stuff out.'

Had all this madness—the jungle, Africa, and Europe—really been worthwhile? This worldly zebra wasn't too sure anymore.

"Vat are you doing out here?"

Marty went airborne like a rocket on the Fourth of July, screaming, before making a mortifying landing on his haunch. His verdant eyes met another pair of verdant eyes: Vitaly's. The Siberian feline had his broad back leaning against a mighty oak tree. All the while, his brilliant green irises pierced their way into Marty's aged soul, seeking answers.

"Oh, uh, nothing...! Just, uh..." Marty stuttered, afraid at the possible prospect of being—gulp—punished by the circus's unofficial "boss."

A metaphorical light bulb suddenly went off in the zebra's head. He quickly plastered a fake, cheesy grin on his face. "Keeping guard, that's it!"

Smirking knowingly, Vitaly hummed tersely but amusedly. "In spite of ve...vhat did smartly dressed birds call dem...video cameras?"

"Oh...yeah..." Marty mumbled. He broke eye contact with the tiger and rubbed a foreleg in slight embarrassment. The middle-aged zebra hadn't planned on being caught in the middle of the night...and by the burly, sour-tempered tiger that had almost skewered him, Alex, Gloria, and Melman on their first night in the circus, no less!

'Maybe I should look into those stealth classes Skipper talked about,' Marty mused. Perhaps the lead penguin had been onto something after all.

"Something bothers you." These words formed a statement, not a question...but their tone was difficult to decipher. Vitaly could just as easily be on the verge of anger and throttle the zebra for keeping a secret from him.

Marty tensed for a minute...only to wave a hoof dismissively, another false smile on his muzzle. "Naw, c'mon, man, everything's cool."

"Cool...?" Vitaly repeated slowly, one eyebrow lifted up, as if trying to process what his unicolor associate was saying.

"Yeah, cool-lay-cool, you know what I'm sayin'?" Oh, how the zebra hoped he wasn't coming off as untrustworthy; the last thing he needed was Vitaly, of all animals, jumping down his throat...or worse.

To his immense relief, though, Vitaly merely gave an unimpressed stare back.

Marty, still refusing to look back, felt his glum mood returning in seconds, his cheery masquerade crumbling faster than paper in the ocean. He never noticed the larger feline coming to his side and silently occupying a seat next to him on the cool grass.

Both mammals were in bathed in moonlit silence for a few moments, the noise of crickets and owls in the distance the only living beings maintaining the life of the conversation.

"You do not trust me."

A loss of words refused its hold on the flabbergasted equine. He wasn't sure what to say to this juggernaut of a tiger. Should he come out and verify the tiger's suspicions? Granted, he wasn't quite looking forward to becoming a pincushion or a rug...but would losing Vitaly's trust once again be any better?

All at once, Marty scowled, shook his head, and even grumbled incoherently—none of these actions went unnoticed by Vitaly. 'What are you saying, man? Why should this guy trust you? You didn't stop Alex from lying to him, Gia, and everybody else about us being circus animals.' So why even bother?

"I am sorry."

Green eyes popped open to the size of dinner plates...and they weren't Vitaly's. "What...?"

Vitaly heaved a heavy sigh; the tone it carried spoke volumes of the tiger's emotions. For once, the wizened feline appeared as old as his age suggested. "I am sorry...for the way I treated you and friends."

Marty's jaw went agape at these words! Had Vitaly, the largest, mightiest, and most ferocious creature the zebra had ever encountered...just asked for forgiveness?

"Nah, man, you don't gotta apologize," Looking out of the corner of his eyes, Marty playfully elbowed Vitaly in the arm. "Hey, me, Ali-al, Glo, and Mel would have done the same if somebody who looked a little suspicious showed up at our zoo."

Marty turned to continue speaking...only to catch Vitaly glancing him with a half-sided, wry smirk and a raised eyebrow.

The zebra didn't need long to catch on. "Okay, maybe not exactly the way you did it...," Marty chuckled and rolled his eyes. "I mean, it ain't like I could even throw a knife to save my life."

"Lion would have, though." Vitaly's tone held no humor. No, this tiger was being serious. Marty once more found the strength to overcome his own reservations and glance back at the Siberian feline, even going so far as to gesture him to continue.

"I saw way he kept glancing to side when we first met." The tiger looked down at the ground, deep in thought. White, translucent starlight joined the metallic lunar beams and bathed his appearance into that of something phantasmal. Marty was no longer scared, however; he was too intrigued to fear this feline anymore. "At first, I thought he planned to make one of you scapegoat...," Vitaly raised a paw to halt Marty's rightfully enraged protest, "I was vrong. Lion feared what I vould do to you, hippo, and giraffe."

Vitaly paused himself to allow those words time to sink in.

Of all the words that could reach Marty, not a single one could even remotely describe how honored and touched the equine felt that very moment. Yet should Marty have been surprised at all? Seriously, Alex—the Alex, once the most snobbish, selfish, and flamboyant lion ever to walk the face of the earth—had literally thrown himself tooth and nail against stark-craven, hungry foosa, deranged New Yorkers, and even both New York's and Europe's finest...all for his own friends, even when he just as easily could have left them all out to fend for themselves.

Sometimes, forgetting how much of a heart of gold that lion had was so easy.

Regardless, all in all, Marty regained his trademark grin for the first time that night as he shook his head, his striped mohawk swaying in response. 'Crazy enough to get his hide skewered like a New York hot dog. Sounds like my man Alex, all right.'

Zoosters stuck together stick together—that was the way things had been since childhood and nothing and no one was going to change it, no matter for better or worse. But then...what about the Zoosters themselves? Yes, they'd always be friends...but...

'What now?' reverberated once more in Marty's mind...No way around the truth—Alex, Gloria, and Melman...they'd found new reasons to live, new purposes...significant others to share their lives with...

And what was left for Marty? Yes, Stefano proved himself time and time again both as a spectacular cannon buddy and an even more wonderful friend...so then why were these potent fears of the original "Fab Four of NYC" drifting apart haunting the zebra?

Why?

'Am I really that scared of being alone?'

All the while, Vitaly had been carefully examining the zebra and his body language. Ever since the discovery of the Zoosters' deception, the ring jumper had been the slowest in accepting the newest members of circus back with open arms, especially Alex. Of course, Vitaly's particular distrust in Alex may or may not have had something to do with how close the pretty boy lion and Gia had become in the last few weeks, both before and after the Zoosters had been busted.

As for the rest of the New York crew, the tiger had been a tad more lenient. The monkeys and penguins, after all, practically owned the circus now, so there was nothing Vitaly could say, much less use, to argue against them. He held little concern for the lemurs; Sonja would be more than able to keep them in line.

Gloria, Melman, and Marty were another story...especially Marty.

Right from the get-go, Vitaly could see how steadfast and loyal all three animals were to Alex. Even when faced with a sea of broken hearts and seething glares, the zebra, giraffe, and hippopotamus remained close to him. They were friends for better or worse.

'So much like me, Gia, and Stefano...' An unbreakable bond, formed from years of deep-hearted companionship...

Only to be furthered by the hands of romance...Indeed, Vitaly could not deny the pangs of jealousy and nostalgia that struck him whenever his eyes and ears landed on the snuggles and kisses Gloria and Melman shared when they thought no one was looking.

Yet was it not better to have loved than to have never loved at all? That simple question was all Vitaly needed in order to bring a smile to his face, to remind himself of how precious and unique the connection between two hearts could be.

And now Love seemed to be working its magic on dear, little Gia as well. Day by day, Vitaly could feel his detenysh slipping from his grasp further and further each waking second. Yes, the wise feline knew very well the need for independence; he only wished the young jaguar had chosen someone...more to his liking.

And Alex was most certainly not.

Yet Gia had still picked him, regardless. In short, Vitaly had no other choice but to respect that decision and be happy for her.

Then there was Marty.

'The hardest to reed animal I have ever met.'

No joke—Marty, at the surface, could instantly be described as an eternal optimist. All one would need to believe that the bright side was always just around the corner would be one simple grin from the zebra. Even Vitaly, the so-called "living epitome of gloom", could attest that quality.

Optimism truly can illuminate one's day.

Just as well as it can shield certain truths from seeing light...Vitaly had been around Stefano for more than long enough to understand how some smile to hide or deny negative feelings. Marty was no exception...partially.

From what the burly tiger had gathered from Alex, Melman, and Gloria, Marty, save for perhaps Skipper, was relatively the oldest of the New Yorkers, a status very similar to that of Vitaly himself. As such, the auburn cat could discern that Marty held far more than he dared reveal beneath that perpetual smile. There lay wisdom, no doubt, experience as well...

One would think such well-aged males would click easily, personalities aside.

'Such is not case I am afraid. Is he...still in fear ov me?'

"Say, V..."

Marty's velvety voice nudged the tiger, whose head was raised a tad to indicate his captured attention, from his reverie. "Hmm...?"

"It's not like I don't trust ya, man, it's just..." Marty frowned pensively. His emerald irises dimmed in hesitation. 'Oh how I do put this delicately?'

"I am not very approachable person," Vitaly calmly finished for him...but then he finally registered the reality of said statement. A sudden unsure frown and a widening of the eyes gave the masculine knife-thrower an air of comical...well, non-manliness as he dared a sheepish look at Marty. "Am I?"

A simple nod and a tentative grin comprised Marty's confirmation.

Vitaly shook his head bemused and tsked himself. "It is no wonder I am jealous of you then."

"Say wha'!?" 'D-Did I just hear that right?' Marty waved his hooves deniably.

"V, you should not be jealous...of me," he tried to explain, placing a hoof on his own lean chest.

In response, Vitaly snapped his sharp eyes in Marty's direction, almost as if he'd just been slapped! "Well, I am jealous you, ze—um, Marty." His expression softened considerably as he continued. "You are able to keep smiling even ven theengs look dark. To me, it always seemed as if only Stefano could do that."

Marty chuckled and shook his head in sincere bemusement. "Yeah, well, being an optimist isn't as easy as it looks, I can tell you that."

Vitaly must have been sent deep into thought by his companion's heartfelt words, though, since no reply came immediately, an oddity Marty noticed and at which raised an eyebrow inquisitively. To add further curiosity, a thoughtful expression took possession of Vitaly's face as the auburn feline gazed at nothing. "Marty...what vould you say if I ask you to spend day with me tomorrow?"

Surprise sprang out as Marty's eyes widened a bit at Vitaly's offer.

"After practice, ov course...," the tiger added in an assuring tone, turning to Marty, "just simple stroll...Just to talk..."

'Vitaly...'

This single thought carried more than heartfelt surprise. It held hope; it held relief; it held assurance; it held a promise that the future would not have to be something to be feared. Marty had let go of so much in the last couple of years...only to gain so much more. He'd always have Alex, Gloria, and Melman...always...but now...now he had all these of animals...these kindred spirits...ready to back him up when times got rough...ready to cheer him and his good buddy Stefano on...ready to share their smiles and laughter with him in times of celebration or just plain gladness...

Feeling more joyed than ever, Marty leapt onto his hind legs, striking a theatric pose of melodramatic anguish, save for the goofy grin on his muzzle.

"Oh, but how ever would the two of us, two men of ever so conflicting walks of life, be able to find topics worth talking about to the both of us?" Man, Marty was on a roll right now! He stepped and sidestepped exaggeratedly as he counted off, much to the intrigue and growing entertainment of his one-member audience. "Treadmills, knives, explosions, crazy French ladies with Terminator tendencies—Oh I know! Perhaps the ever so erratic and—if I may add—legally questionable tactics of the penguins...?" Marty bumped an eyebrow up and down comically.

At once, Vitaly threw his head back to let loose a round of baritone guffaws, earning himself an instant smile from Marty, who joined in with his own case of cackling laughter. Luckily, thanks to the duo's distance from the train cars, the tiger and the zebra need not worry about waking anyone up. A shame if they would have had to cut the talk short just because someone needed beauty sleep...

"On second thought, maybe I should keep watch on you instead of lion," Vitaly commented jokily once he got his laughter under control, playfully and lightly punching Marty in the front leg. "You have much skill in striking the funny bone!"

Marty shrugged his shoulders in smug satisfaction. "Ah, well, you know how I dish out my skill-lays."

Vitaly merely hummed forlornly, his smile having waned down a bit. "Not vell enough, to be honest..."

Unfortunately, someone took that incomplete thought the wrong way. Marty shot an incredulously insulted glare at the tiger. "Oh, I know you better not be dissin' me, man."

To that rebuttal, Vitaly looked to the equine in slight confusion for a few moments before chuckling good-naturedly and patting his new friend's shoulder affectionately. "You best be getting shut eye, comrade. We have much practice tomorrow."

The monotone equestrian perked up at hearing a certain "c" word. 'Comrade, eh...? Huh, got a nice ring to it...'

Just as Marty pondered this thought, though, a deep yawn escaped him. Yeah, hitting the sack sounded like a pretty nice idea right now. "I guess you got me there, man." He trotted off to his train car for a well-deserved rest, though not before waving a final goodbye to his newfound pal. "Night, V."

Vitaly turned his grizzled head in Marty's direction to offer a kind grin and a nod in return before continuing on. "Goodnight, my fellow circus animal."

The Russian knife flinger never saw Marty halting in mid-step, a twinkling sheen developing over the zebra's verdant eyes. 'He believes I'm one of them now. I truly am one of them now.'

Marty never tore his look from the empty space before him. "Say, V."

The addressee, just on the threshold of the door to his movable room, shifted his vision once more in the zebra's direction, curious as to what else he had to say. "Yes?"

That same goofy, contagious grin greeted Vitaly as Marty called out, "I'm gonna be holding ya to that walk tomorrow, man!"

Vitaly huffed contentedly. "Heh, that is fair enough."

And so, long after Vitaly had shut the door, long after no other sound could be heard, Marty, after having remained where he was in the starlit darkness, took the final steps to his new home and bed, feeling more among family than ever prior to winding up in Circus Zaragoza.

'Maybe this ain't the end, after all...'