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.
Alex jumped to her feet and whirled around, heart pounding. At first she didn't see the skinny gray cat anywhere and she was worried he'd left without saying goodbye. Then she heard rustling behind her and she spun around to see Ash pushing his way through the bushes, dragging a bag.
He dropped it in front of her and gave her a confused look. "What's wrong?" he asked.
She took a steady breath, before confessing," I thought you left without saying goodbye."
He twitched his tail, as if flicking her concern away. "I just went to get us breakfast," he told her, pushing the bag closer, and the scent of human food hit her nose.
Embarrassed, Alex murmured her gratitude and then they began to eat. When they were finished, Alex admitted that she was going to miss him.
Ash frowned. "I'm going to miss you, too," he confessed, rubbing his head against hers. "And I wish you good luck on your journey."
"Thank you," she responded.
He shifted his paws. "I'm gonna leave now," he told her, and she widened her eyes in shock.
"Why now?" she asked. "Can't you walk me to the food places– I mean, restaurants?"
He shook his head. "I'm not good at long goodbyes, so I'm gonna leave it here." He gave Alex a friendly flick of his tail and turned away.
Alex stood there, watching the gray cat until he was out of sight. Then she took a deep breath and let it out, before turning toward the interstate. She decided to go to one of the buildings near it; maybe she could find a car heading in the direction of New York.
Careful not to be spotted, she made her way toward the store, and when she got there, she hid behind some boxes, listening as people walked by. It took a good while until finally she heard someone mentioning New Jersey and she knew that that was really close to New York.
She followed the human to his car, wondering how she was going to get in. She spotted kids in the backseat, and as she hesitated outside, one of them opened the door. When the little girl wasn't looking, Alex ran forward, ducking behind the seat.
She held her breath, waiting to hear someone call out, but the kid jumped back into the car, seeming unaware of her. She sighed with relief and settled down, wondering how long it'll take to get to New Jersey.
And from there, all I need to do is find a way to the Central Park Zoo in New York and find my father, Skipper, she told herself.
She took a deep breath, feeling like she was in the final stage of her journey. She wished she could tell her mother somehow that she was safe and almost in New York. Suddenly sadness washed over her and she wondered if she'll ever see her mother or Jason or Grace ever again.
Not wanting to focus on how much she was missing the others, she turned to look out the window as the car pulled away from the store and drove onto the interstate.
Soon, she told herself, I'll meet my father.
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