Author's note: To let you know, one of the main languages of Madagascar is French. So, that will be a useful bit on information.
Chapter 7: An Awkward Rescue
Julien waved to his friend as he vanished into the brush. He knew it was probably the last time he'd ever see him. But, the lemur was confident that his decision was the right one. After all, what could be more fun then going to a completely new place. It couldn't be that bad. The giants like it. Behind him, a ship horn sounded. The boats drew ever closer.
"Hey, fuzz-bucket," Alex got his attention, "What did you go and get?"
"Why, my personal batch of Winoki juice," He told the curious lion pointing towards a tree. Alex then noticed the giant jug resting against its trunk. Julien could have easily fit inside the jug, it was so enormous.
Alex laughed, "That'll be useful. If we ever want to blow something up, that is."
"It's almost here!" Marty leapt into the air, despite the slight aches that remained.
"Does everyone have everything?" Skipper asked displaying his authority. The penguins nodded.
Melman yelled in excitement, "It's here!"
He was right. But, it was the tugboat that had come first. It sailed to the penguin's wrecked ship and stopped under it's shadow. Men soon began working on attaching the one boat to another. With a defening squeak, the other boat had finally arrived.
The bow of the small cargo ship scraped against the sand. A deathly silent pause followed. Finally, a platform lowered from a crane on the ships deck. On it, was a cage fashioned with black steel bars. Also, on the platform were two men. Both had very dark skin. One looked rather intelligent with a green polo shirt and wire-rimmed glasses that glinted in the sunlight. The other was at least six foot five and pure muscle from head to tow. Skipper examined the cage. It was about four feet wide, but only about two and a half feet tall. He recognized it as the penguin cage. "Well, boys," he faced his troops, "I guess it's us first."
Julien added, "Would you mind if I joined you?" he asked, "That one looks about my size."
"Go ahead," he welcomed the lemur, "Just promise not to speak until spoken to. Got it?" The lemur nodded. Skipper rubbed his feathered chin in thought. "How are the humans going to go about this operation?" he asked himself. His eyes then slowly wandered to Julien. "You, primate! You go up to them, first."
Happily, he obliged and strolled to the platform. He was not welcomed. The bigger man picked him up before he managed to reach the cage. He turned to his smarter counter part, "Est-ce que nous voulons les animaux locale?"
"Non. Debouloones ca." he instructed. The bigger man threw the lemur aside and gave a clear shooing motion. The lemur returned to the penguins.
"They did not want me," he told them.
"I guess they were told to only take us zoo animals," Skipper said apologetically.
"It's ok, I have another plan or two," Julien answered brightly. "Just, do me a favor."
"Yes?" Skipper asked.
"Take my Winoki juice."
"Winoki juice?" Skipper looked confused, "Oh, the flaming stuff." He thought for a moment. "I usually don't take orders from mammals, but I really want a taste of that stuff." He then walked to the tree and took the jar. The men were now arguing.
"Comment est-ce que nous recevons les penguins, maintenant?" The big one snapped.
The smart one thought for a moment, then shouted up to the deck, "Ay! Bansa! Donnez-nous de poisson!" A man peered over the railing giving the men an 'ok' sign and left. He came back, and threw down a bucket of fish. The big man caught it and placed it in the cage. He then looked at the penguins. "Vennez ici, petits penguins." he called them.
"The nerve of them," Skipper scoffed, "Trying to tempt us with as little as a bucket of fish." He leered at the man. "Why it's an insult to our very-"
"FISH!" Rico shouted as he ran towards the bucket. Contently, he sat in the cage and swallowed a mouthful of the decadent fish. Skipper sighed and followed holding the large, crudely fashioned jug. Behind him, waddled Private and Kowalski, who appeared a bit nervous. The men looked at the penguin, holding the bottle, and shrugged. Once the penguins were in, the men shut the cage door.
"Hissez-nous monté" the bigger one shouted at the deck. Slowly, the platform raised. The penguins waved at their friends.
"See you in a minute!" Private called out. The platformed moved over the deck and out of sight.
After a few minutes, the platformed returned with a new cage on it. This one was extremely tall. Melman instantly knew it was his. "Well, guys, at least it's not a crate." he tried to be optimistic. "Though, the open design does leave me vulnerable to air borne diseases."
"Oh, Go on!" Gloria pushed him.
"Good luck, Melman," Alex encouraged the giraffe. Melman walked over with caution. As soon as he came close enough, one of the men lassoed a rope around his neck.
"Melman!" Gloria shouted. Roughly, the men pulled him into the cage and closed the door.
"Don't worry," Alex comforted her, "The people can be a bit misunderstanding, but they won't hurt us." Gloria still felt worried. The platform, once again, rose out of sight.
"Alex, are you sure this is a good idea?" Marty questioned him.
Alex turned his head, "Of course. We're getting rescued. Besides, it's a little late to be having second thoughts." He looked down. "Hey, fuzz-bucket! How are you going to get on the boat?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Alex, all will reveal itself in time." Julien answered. With a squeak, the platform game grinding down again. This was the widest cage, yet. Inside was ripe fruits and vegetables. Gloria took her cue and walked into the cage without a fuss. The cage door shut with a clank, and they rose out of sight again.
"Well, Marty," The lion smiled, "We're going home."
"I'm gonna miss this place," he commented.
"Yeah," Alex sighed, "I know." The crane lowered the men for a fourth time with another cage.
"Who's supposed to go?" Marty asked. There were no clear indications of which species should proceed.
The smarter man hit the bigger man, "Apelles le zèbra!"
"D'accord, d'accord!" the bigger man agreed. He held out a hand. "Aproaches." he called Marty softly. "Viens-ici."
Alex nudged Marty forward. "That would be, you." Marty nodded and approached the men. Calmly, he entered the cage. The door slammed shut. Marty knew he was going to hate the long voyage that lay ahead. Alex felt a sense of despair watching Marty disappear over the deck, as if it were the last time he'd see him. 'C'mon Alex' he thought to himself, 'I'll be up with him in a second.' he supressed his fear. But, a hint of it still lingered.
"Well, Julien," Alex looked down at the former king, "It's just you and me, now."
"Correction," he winked, "It's just you." With this, he then jumped on the lion's shoulders. "Pretend I'm not here." he requested as he climbed into the Lion's mane. With a pull of his furry tail, he vanished.
"This is your big plan?" Alex asked.
"Shh," the lemur answered from within Alex's thick fur. "I'm not here, remember?" Alex groaned, thinking of a possible lice invasion.
For a final time, the men rode down from the ship. The last cage rested on it. It's bars were thicker than the others. Bravely, Alex walked forward, but then stopped. Something wasn't right. A sense of dread quickly overtook him.Scared, he looked around for an abnormality.He looked at the cage. Nothing wrong. Then the smart man. Normal. But, then glanced at the bigger man. His fear's were confirmed. The bigger man was aiming a rifle right at him. Before he could react, the man pulled the trigger.