Maurice handed the water-filled coconut shell to King Julien and watched, his brows furrowed, as the lemur took a few small sips before setting it aside. He sat up, enjoying the shaded patch of sand. A large tree with broad leaves covered him from the harsh rays of the sun. He was settling in to sleep a bit more when the sound of squabbling lemurs wrenched him from his sleepy stupor.
"Maurice," King Julien grumbled. He figured it was just a few lemurs fighting over a mango or something.
Maurice nodded, already knowing what he wanted without having to hear any more, and turned around to leave the shaded patch of sand. His thick, black tail was dragging in the sand, and he looked miserable. King Julien thought he had to be, it was incredibly hot at the beach. He was hot too. In fact, he was beginning to think about moving into the trees despite the furless and their machines. It was just that hot.
Maurice disappeared into the trees, and the sounds of fighting lemurs only intensified. King Julien watched as a writhing ball of red, black, and tan fur emerged from the trees. They rolled and turned over in the sand, spraying it high into the air. King Julien sputtered when he was dusted with the substance and shook himself off. He raised a paw and demandingly growled, "M-hmm!"
The lemurs separated after King Julien repeated himself, and louder. Crimson, Maurice, and Tod stood at attention. Crimson looked worse for wear, as her fur was matted and dusted black; Maurice looked to be missing a few clumps of fur on his tail; meanwhile, Tod appeared totally unscathed and as lifeless as ever. "What is all the fighting about? I need to get my beauty sleep, people," King Julien asked, thoroughly annoyed. "And where have YOU been, Crimson? Where's Clover?" He pointed an accusatory finger at the crowned lemur and waited impatiently for her response.
"I came as fast as I could, King Julien. I was separated a while back, and then your beloved Clover and every one else in this kingdom was intent on keeping me out. It's hard to give help nowadays," Crimson spat, blood dribbling from her muzzle. She dusted her fur off and curled her tail around her feet, the tip flicking in annoyance. "But, that's not the point. King Julien, a fire is engulfing the forest and only getting faster as we speak!" She turned and pointed toward the forest.
King Julien scrutinized the scene for a few moments, watching the sky for any signs of smoke. He was almost ready to scold Crimson for making up very unfunny stories about wildfires when he saw the faintest curls of smoke in the distance. The light coils of smoke gave way to thicker, more blatant clouds of choking, gray-black smog. His eyes widened and his fur fluffed in fright.
"Crimson! Why didn't you say so sooner?" King Julien didn't wait for a response, and looked to Maurice and the other present lemurs. "Maurice, gather the peoples, we need to go."
"Go where?" Maurice was panicking equally as much. "The forest is on fire, and that's our only way out!"
Crimson interrupted them. "I was there when the fire started, the furless started it. I know how to get past it. You'll just have to trust me," Crimson growled to the king and his advisor. "I can get you all out, alive." He blue eyes glittered in a way that made King Julien feel uneasy, but he didn't have time to think about that. He had never been quite so frightened in his life. He thought that facing a fossa would have been much easier than this.
"I hope you're right about that," Maurice muttered. He didn't seem to forgive the feeling quite so easily.
"Maurice!" King Julien snapped, "gather the peoples!" he repeated, desperately.
"Right, right!" Maurice turned around and darted off, leaving large, frantic footprints in the sand of the beach. It wasn't long before the aye-aye returned with the handful of lemurs that remained after the furless invasions. They all looked as wide-eyed and frightened as their king was, and King Julien felt sorry for them. He felt sorry for himself, too. He wished the furless had never came to begin with. Now they had set the forest ablaze. Just what was their intention with that?
The lemurs looked at him worriedly and expectantly, and he cleared his throat to speak. "We're going to be leaving in just a few minutes, and we're going to be following Crimson. Don't question it, just do! If we get separated, try to find her." He looked to the crowned lemur in question and tilted his head. "Ready?"
"About time," Crimson tisked and ran into the undergrowth of the forest. The lemurs frantically followed her, leaving King Julien and Maurice to be among the last few lemurs out. King Julien brought up the rear, trying to keep himself upright and making sure the other lemurs were following Crimson correctly.
Maurice glanced up at the king as they ran, though standing on two legs while trying to run at Crimson's pace was proving difficult. "You know, I'm surprised. I'm surprised you weren't the first lemur to go bolting into the trees and out of here before anyone else could have even blinked."
"I have to take care of them," King Julien insisted in response, panting.
"Well, yeah, you do, but… normally Clover and I have to yell at you until you realize that," Maurice laughed nervously, and then broke into a fit of coughing. King Julien soon began to cough too, because he was smelling the harsh tang of smoke. Up above, he could see the clouds of blackness, and he distantly heard the dim crackle of fire eating at branches, leaves, and undergrowth.
The truth was, King Julien understood full well how to care for his people. He simply found it hard to admit when he was wrong, or genuinely didn't understand some concepts at first. But it was easy to understand that a fire was dangerous, and his people relied on him for protection. Not only all of that, but it was easy to hide from the truth behind a facade of ignorance. Life was easier and more fun that way, too. Where was the fun in constantly worrying, constantly living in fear?
King Julien and Maurice finally fell forward and onto all fours. There was simply no way they were going to keep up otherwise. King Julien's ears flicked and quivered as he heard the crackling and rough sounds of fire grow closer. Surely, Crimson wasn't taking them closer to the flames? He jumped up as he ran and gave a quick glance around, and he realized that Crimson was not intentionally taking them closer to the flames. They were spreading in such a way through the trees that it almost looked like the fire was chasing them.
They kept rushing through undergrowth and growing closer to the blaze until Crimson abruptly came to a screeching halt. The other lemurs practically fell over themselves attempting to stop as quickly as she did. King Julien managed to stop without falling, and threw an intense look to Crimson. "So, what now?" he panted, his tail lashing about behind him.
"There's a way through here, but it's small. Keep your tails and ears down, and crawl!" Crimson barked, gesturing to an old, decrepit log decaying on the forest floor. The old log was also wet, and as disgusting and grimy as it were, it would catch fire very slowly if at all. Crimson helped the lemurs through, even having to step between some when multiple tried to go in at a time.
King Julien watched and helped. Once most of the lemurs were through, King Julien looked to Crimson and smiled. He had no idea what changed her heart to be so kind, but he was glad for it. He went to crawl into the disgusting log, bracing himself for its slimy, cold touch, but a force suddenly bowled him over from his left side.
"What was that for-" He was cut off when he saw who had done it. Crimson was standing in front of him, fur fluffed out, ears angled backwards, and teeth bared in a twisted snarl. Blood still was dripping from her muzzle, and a few drops landed on King Julien's chest. Her lashing tail threw dust up every time it passed the earth due to the force at which it was twitching. King Julien stared at her incredulously for a moment, stunned and confused.
"You," Crimson spat. "You. All that matters in King Julien's world is you. If it wasn't for you, I would still be normal. If you had simply accepted me, then I wouldn't have had to hurt Clover to get you out here. But no, King Julien, all there's room for in your world… is you." Crimson advanced on him, and King Julien scooted backwards.
"Crimson, this is crazy!" he exclaimed finally, looking around at the flames slowly creeping forward. In frustration, he glared at her and spat, "You're crazy!"
Crimson placed a well-aimed smack across his muzzle, stunning him into silence once more. "I may be crazy, but at least I'll die knowing you died, too." She cracked a slackjawed grin and the look of satisfaction on her face made King Julien want to slap her back, but the growing hopelessness of the situation kept him from doing so. And then, he began to hear fire crackling just outside the fallen log, and felt heat reach his tail.
"Crimson, if you don't stop this, we're both going to burn! What good is it if you're dead?" he pleaded desperately.
"Did you even listen to me?" Crimson snarled again, and lashed her tail so hard to the side it thumped against the log's groaning wood. "See? See what I mean?"
She broke into a fit of coughing, and so did King Julien. Through the ear-grating sounds of crackling flames and bowing trees, King Julien heard someone shouting.
"Julien! Crimson! What's goin' on back there?" It was Maurice. Julien tried to shout a response, but a fit of coughing cut him off, as well as Crimson wrapping both of her paw-like hands around his muzzle, digging her claws in to the point her grip was painful.
Just when Julien was certain that Crimson was going to straddle him and hold him there until he died, he heard another voice in the distance, this time even fainter and harder to understand.
"Maurice! Help me… get across that log! My sister... to kill Julien!"
Crimson screeched her rage and let go of King Julien. She reared up instead and slammed into his chest, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him down. She darted ahead on all fours and apparently met with Clover halfway through the large, downed log. Dazedly turning over, King Julien watched in awe as the two sisters fought, Clover striking the log enough to create a hole in the side where they were battling. He soon realized that she was trying to knock Crimson outside the hole, into the roaring blaze that rushed overhead. Indeed, the log was beginning to feel uncomfortably hot, and King Julien panted harder and harder and it became even more difficult to see.
Finally, with a fateful kick to the chest, Clover propelled her sister through the gap. Shrieks of pain told King Julien her grisly fate. He looked to Clover, who was bloodied and smudged with smoke, and felt a wave of relief ride over him. He smiled his happiness and began to limp toward her, when the top of the log split open and fire began to reach inside, slowly but surely. It was as if it had fingers, and they were trying to pry the log further open.
"King Julien!" Clover shouted. "Come on!"
Before she finished speaking, it became so difficult to see, Julien just shut his eyes to stop the confusing imagery. He felt his chin hit the hot, grimy bottom of the log, and everything went silent.