Disclaimer: I do not own The Penguins of Madagascar or any of its characters, but I do own Alex the penguin and a lot more characters who appear in this story.
Daisy just stared at her, without saying a word, and Alex waited anxiously, afraid she'd upset her mother. After a very long time, Daisy sucked in a breath, then let it out slowly, as if calming herself. Then she nodded and murmured," I think you're right."
Alex's mouth dropped open, convinced she misheard. Why did Daisy agree so easily without even hearing why her daughter felt like she had to go find her father who ran out on them? But Alex was speechless. She couldn't find the words to ask her mother why she agreed.
"I've seen how restless you've been lately," Daisy told her as if she could read Alex's mind. "And I've always suspected that once you were old enough, you'd want to go find your father."
Alex blinked, surprised yet touched. "Thank you for understanding," she murmured, glad that her mother wasn't going to try to stop her from leaving.
"Before you leave, there's a few things you should know," Daisy went on, and Alex leaned closer eagerly. "You'd probably find him at the Central Park Zoo in New York, which is a very long way from here, but I know if anyone can do it, you can. I already told you that he and his team guards their zoo. The brains of the team is called Kowalski. The 'loose cannon' as he called him is Rico. And the youngest of the team is called Private. They all work together under the command of your father, so expect them to listen to him and he probably won't recognize you, so be careful."
Alex nodded, listening to every word, heart pounding. She was really going to do this. She was going to leave and go on a long journey to find her father. She couldn't imagine what she'd say to him, but she told herself that she'd have plenty of time to come up with something.
Her mother broke into her thoughts. "I'm going to teach you some basic fighting moves in case you need to defend yourself on your journey,"
Shocked, Alex wasn't sure how to reply at first. Then she started nodding, realizing that her mother was right. Excitement shot through her. She was going to learn how to fight!
She listened and watched Daisy carefully and when she attempted the move, she found that it came naturally. But after a few more moves, she began to get exhausted and her movements became more clumsy toward the end.
Finally, Daisy straightened. "Okay, I think that's enough. You did well, but you're not used to moving around so much. I had the same problem when I was first learning to fight. Just practice often but don't push yourself too hard or you'll be too tired to travel."
After training, Alex went to go find something to eat. She was glad to see that the zookeepers had bought lunch. As she ate, she decided to take it easy for the rest of the day and begin her journey in the morning.
Footsteps made her look up to see Grace approaching. Curiously, Alex watched as she sat beside her. She noticed that her friend held a piece of paper. As she set it down, Alex realized it was a map but she couldn't understand it.
She blinked up at her friend. "You know I can't read," she reminded her.
"But I'm going to teach you to read a map at least," Grace told her. She hesitated, suddenly looking very upset. "I'm really going to miss you," she added quietly.
Alex frowned. "I'm going to miss you, too." She reached forward and hugged her closest friend, and Grace hugged her back.
When they pulled away, neither of them spoke for a few moments. Then Grace cleared her throat and pointed to the map, beginning to teach her names of places and other words she might need to know from here all the way to New York. Alex tried to memorize each word, in case she came across it again and she'd know where she was. But with all this new knowledge, plus the fighting moves her mother taught her, her head was beginning to spin.
She forced her mind to relax, telling herself that she could do this. It was huge, going on a long journey alone and learning all that she needed to in such a short time, but she had faith in herself.
I'm going to be okay, she thought, certainty washing over here that it was true.
By the time Grace announced that she showed her all she could right now but Alex would have to study the map everyday, especially if she was lost, it was close to bedtime.
Finding a quiet corner, Alex laid down, but her heart was pounding so hard she didn't think she could sleep. She was thinking about starting her journey tomorrow. What will happen when she leaves? Will she actually find her father? How will she make it all that way by herself?
Finally, she cleared her mind and soon she slipped into sleep. Again, she dreamed of journeying over long distances, but this time she knew where she was heading: To the Central Park Zoo in search of her father, Skipper.
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