Chapter 27: Chronicles of Friendship

Alex sat by the tree, though remaining silent. King Pala could sense the tension between Alex and his friends. Not wanting to interfere, the king left the lion to himself. A breeze came and rustled Alex's mane tossing his hairs into a disorderly fashion. He didn't care; he simply sat with his back against the tree, thinking various thoughts. He sighed heavily, his chest rising and falling with ease.

'I should've told them. It's not that I don't trust them, it's just...I dunno,' Alex thought to himself, 'I guess it's just that I wanted them to be happy, that's all... I'm always ruining things.'

'I'll say,' a sly voice answered, 'I'm getting tired of you ruining my plans, Alex.'

Alex rested his head in his knees feeling fatigued, 'Just go away. I'm not in the mood.'

'How many times do I have to tell you: This isn't a pick and choose sort of deal,' It answered.

'Well, I'm choosing, because now I know what you are, and I'm going to get rid of you!' Alex snapped back in his head.

It chided back, 'Silly lion. For a moment yesterday, you actually thought you got rid of me. I don't know how you resumed control of your body again, but let me assure you: I can still make your body my own. If the right circumstances come up, I'll strike again, and this time no one will be able to bring you back from my clutches.'

Alex hit the back of his head, 'Piss off!' He began thinking of joyful thoughts once again. When King Pala told him that he could get rid of It. It struggled to retain It's stance, but the thoughts overtook It. At last, he felt the dark presence leave for the time being. Alex sighed. "I'm getting really sick of that," Alex mumbled to himself.

"What's that Al?" Marty asked.

"Oh, it's you Marty," Alex crossed his arms and lifted his eyebrow, "What part of, 'I want to be alone for a while' don't you get?"

Marty smiled coyly, "The part, where you really say it because you don't want to be left alone, despite what you're saying. Really, I just don't get it."

Alex laughed, "Marty, you know me too well."

The zebra nodded. His expression grew concerning, "I know you well enough to know you weren't comfortable a few seconds ago. What's up?"

Alex replied, "I was just dealing with It again."

Marty had a twinge of fear run through his body.

"Don't worry," Alex comforted him, "It's just bluffing, now. Besides, tomorrow I'll be free."

"I hope so," Marty answered. The zebra sat next to Alex, "You know, to have the old Alex back again would be great," Marty rested his chin on his hoof, "I remember when we didn't have to care about anything. Our life was planned out, and all we had to do is just laugh together and be happy."

"Marty, that's not a fulfilling life," Alex answered, "And you realized that before any of us"

"Then why do you want to go back?" Marty inquired.

"Don't you see, Marty?" he explained, "New York is our home. I love New York. It's where we can be away from stress. But that doesn't mean we have to fade into the background. I realized something, Marty."

"What is it?" Marty pondered.

Alex smiled back, "I came to this place, just looking to fill a selfish need. And look, I ended up helping them all. What I learned is that, no matter where I go I can make a difference. But, I want to go to New York. And I know if I go back, I can make a difference there too. We won't just be zoo animals living out a boring agenda from day to day. We'll be living eventful and fulfilling lives."

"You know, you're right Al," Marty agreed, "I just hope we can do it."

"Don't hope," Alex corrected, "Just know." Alex leaned back against the bark, and focussed his gaze at the sky, "This goes with what I learned on Madagascar. I learned that with good friends, I can do anything," his gaze dropped, he looked over at Melman by the hot springs. The giraffe was trying to avoid conversation with various lionesses with a scorn look on his face. Alex sighed, "I kinda screwed that one up."

"Alex, I know It was personal. But I can't figure out why you didn't tell them," Marty analyzed.

Alex shook his head, "I can't figure it out either. I do trust them. I just-well... the opportunity never came up. And, I didn't want to worry them anymore."

Marty crossed his arms, "Oh I see, you just wanted to worry me."

"C'mon Marty, you know that isn't it," Alex defended, "I just knew that you would take it well."

"So, in other words, you don't trust them after all?" Marty corrected.

"It's not that- it's that...well..." Alex couldn't think of how to explain it, "I think my earlier explanation was the closest: I screwed up."

Marty laughed silently, "Well, let's just work on fixing it."

Alex watched the grass move in the wind, "What Melman said...it really hurt. I don't know why he reacted so badly."

"Melman has his reasons. They may not make sense to us, but I know he has his reasons," Marty explained.

"Maybe I should talk to him," Alex suggested.

Marty nodded, "I think so, too."

Julien answered from behind the lion, "I wouldn't advice that."

"AH!" Alex jumped onto his feet. He looked back and shot a glance at Julien, "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," Julien said weakly. He jumped onto Alex's shoulder, "But, like I said. Talking to that giraffe seems like a bad idea to me."

Alex put his hands on his hips, "And why is that?"

Julien answered, "The way he was acting, I would make him come to you!"

"That's just selfish!" Marty scolded.

"Yes, but that's the way you have to play things, sometimes," Julien explained.

Marty shook his head, "No you don't!"

Alex stood between the two, "Just let me decide for myself!"

"Sorry Alex," Julien apologized.

Marty decided, "Alex, just do what you think is right."

"I will," Alex sat down again, "But not right now."

"Something wrong?" Julien asked.

"No," Alex shook his head, "I just want some more of this."

"Some more of what?" Julien questioned.

"This!" Alex gestured around, "To know that everything's going to work out."

"But how do we know?" Marty asked, "The penguins may have claimed they found a way home, but it's their word versus reality."

"Oh, c'mon. We can trust Skipper," Alex supported the penguin.

"You bet your life, you can," Skipper answered.

Alex rolled his eyes, "What ever happened to greeting someone? ' Hello, how are you? Nice to see you! ' It's just ' I'll walk right into your private conversation! ' "

"Calm down, cat!" Skipper held his flippers out.

"Where are the other flappy-swimmy things?" Julien asked.

Skipper sighed, but continued, "They're going fishing," he gestured in the direction of the hot springs. In the running creek, the penguins were diving in and out of the water catching a bundle of fish each time.

"So, what do you want?" Alex asked.

Skipper answered, "I just wanted to talk to you."

"About?" Alex asked.

Skipper put his flippers behind his back, "Well...er...you know...like a friend kinda...thing..."

Alex smiled, "Well, that's new."

"Don't get comfortable, it's hard enough to do this...thing as it is," Skipper pointed at the lion.

Alex laughed, "I think you need a few lessons."

"What a load of tripe. I've never needed lessons in anything!" the leader penguin defended.

"So, what's been going on with you?" Alex asked happily.

"Planning out a tactical way of completing our next mission," he answered.

Alex shook his head, "No, I mean. How have you felt about what's been going on, lately?"

"Um...felt?" Skipper inquired, "Well...I've felt that...why am I telling you?"

"Because that's what friends do," Alex told the penguin.

Skipper scratched his head, "You just complain?"

"It's more than that," Marty corrected him.

"Really?" Julien asked.

Marty shot a glance at the lemur.

"Just kidding..." Julien backed behind Alex's mane, out of view of Marty.

"So what do you do?" Skipper inquired.

Marty tried to think of an explanation, "It's not something you can learn as much as experience."

"Then, how will I get it right?" Skipper asked.

Alex answered, "It's not about getting it right. It's about enjoying someone's company, and them enjoying your's."

Skipper nodded. Sheepishly, he looked up at Alex, "Do...do you enjoy my company?"

Alex smiled, "Of course I do."

"Well I enjoy yours, so-" Skipper held out his flipper, "I guess that makes us friends."

"Yeah," Alex took the penguins flipper into his paw, and they shook hands.

"I'm glad we have that settled," Marty proclaimed.

Julien agreed, "I still don't think you can really define what friendship is."

"I guess not, but we all have it," Marty explained.

Skipper sighed, "So...now what?"

"Just sit down, and relax," Alex instructed.

Skipper raised an eyebrow and shrugged before sitting on the soft green grass.

Suddenly, a loud roar sounded. It was King Pala. Alex was about to investigate the commotion until he saw the lionesses going beyond the rock in a single file line. They were going out to hunt. Alex sighed, it was the one thing that still remained in the pride, that he didn't like. The last lioness had disappeared into the African savanna, but Alex noticed that Elsa was not with them. He would've said something, but the new quiet introduced serenity to the group.

Recovering from the disturbance, Skipper continued his lesson in friendship. He eased onto his back, gazing at the sky watching the clouds pass above the canopy of the king's tree. "You ever wonder why we are?"

"Why we're the way we are?" Alex asked lying on his back as well. He found himself often staring at the sky. As if it held hope to him wherever he was. Julien lay beside him, staring into the blue heavens with his gigantic yellow eyes.

Marty leaned back as well, remembering when he and Alex first saw the stars together on Madagascar.

Skipper shook his head, "No...just why we are...why we exist?"

Alex pondered the answer for a moment. The answer came to him quickly, "To help each other."

Skipper nodded, "Yeah..." he felt his tensions melt into the soft foliage beneath him, "That sounds about right..."

Meanwhile, Gloria and Melman were having a discussion of their own... a loud discussion. "What were you thinking talking to Alex like that! Have you forgotten that he just saved us yesterday?" Gloria shouted.

Melman grunted, "Alex didn't save us, the penguins did!"

"And if that Kuju guy came over that rock instead of Alex you'd be perfectly fine, huh?" Gloria retaliated.

Melman knew he couldn't argue that point any longer, so shifted the conversation, "Well...well...," his new stance came, "Weren't you upset, too that Alex just kept this from us the entire time?"

"Yes I was upset," she admitted, "But I took the time to understand his reasoning. If you look at it, we didn't need to know. Marty, on the other hand, would've known something wasn't right and pestered it out of Alex, anyway. In fact, I bet that's exactly what happened!"

Melman shouted back, "But, Gloria! He told that squirrel before he told us!"

Gloria put her hands on her hips, conveying that sense of womanly power that she could so easily muster, "Don't you even start with the name calling again! His name is Julien, and I'm sure Alex had a good reason for telling him!"

"Why aren't you bothered by the fact that Alex doesn't trust us!" Melman yelled, despite the hippo's powerful presence.

Gloria sighed, "I didn't say it didn't bother me... I'm just saying that I think I understand," she took her power once again, "But why can't you try to understand too!"

Melman shook his head. He sat on the ground letting a long, silent pause deter his thoughts. Finally, the giraffe spoke, "It's just... I have such a hard time trusting people. I mean, it's a really big deal when I even began to start trusting in another. Back in the zoo, it was a miracle I trusted you guys. But, I knew I could trust you. I knew it," he sighed, "But if Alex can't trust me, what's the point of trusting him? It seems like...like," he tried to find the right words, "...like a waste of energy."

Gloria's expressions softened, "Melman, Alex trusts us. But he probably kept this thing from us this one time, because he didn't want to scare us. He was only doing what he thought was best for us." She sat next to Melman.

The giraffe found this comforting, though his face refused to show it. "But, do you think it really was the best thing for us?"

"It's what I would've done," Gloria answered.

Melman looked down at the grass, "What should I do?"

Gloria put a hand on his back, "You need to go talk to him."

Melman nodded. "Just give me a while to think about things."