Author's Note: Well I made myself cry… Review?

~Natty.

Time Runs Out.

~M~

"ALEX!" Marty yelled as he watched his best friend in the entire world fall back off the rock in the habitat. That didn't just happen! That lady did not just shoot Alex! She did though and the zebra felt tears in his eyes as he started to rattle the gate wall in front of him. His friend wasn't moving and he couldn't get to him to help. All he could do was call his name and pray the lion responded at least. "Alex!"

Gloria gasped with her hands over her mouth in shock. She looked at her boyfriend in the next caged habitat over. A silent moment passed between them, one of worry and despair.

Melman had gasped too, his neck leaning in as he rushed to the fence too. His long front too legs were up on the fence as he tried to get a better view of the lion. The giraffe was a doctor after all but he only ever examined himself and other zebras. He was sure a CAT scan wouldn't be able to fix this. Maybe some penicillin…

The giraffe's concerned eyes met his girlfriends, silently voicing the same name that went through both of their heads; Alex…

"Alex!" The zebra called again and just as he started to think he was yelling at a corpse, he saw the lion start to move. A wide smile lit up on Marty's face at this. His friend was alive! The cat survived! He wasn't dead! …Yet. Marty frowned as that word registered in his mind. The lion may be alive for now but who knew how long he could hold out with whatever was in that death dart! "Alex…J-just hang on a second! Don't get up cuz I'm comin' to ya! Hold on now!"

Marty looked around and over the fence, hoping he could find a weak spot or a way to get over it. Zebras weren't necessary known for climbing and he couldn't do much with these old hooves he had here. Man if he had fingers he would've been over this thing! Or maybe not considering the barbwire spiraling at the top. You know what, he'd take barbwire over losing Alex any day! Sadly he couldn't make that decision today. He wouldn't be able to get to the top of that fence in the first place.

The monochromatic animal thought harder. It wasn't like he could magically rip through it! He didn't even have any- Oh would you look at that?

Alex had claws and those claws just so happened to be sprawled out on the other side of the fence in the zebra's reach.

"Alex, I'mma have to borrow these!" Marty said to his incoherent friend and slipped his hoof through the gate to grab the lion's paw. He pressed down on the padding of the cat's paw and unsheathed the thick claws, using them to determinedly cut through the fence. He stretched his friend's whole arm up to make a slit just big enough for him to pass on through.

The zebra dropped the lion's arm and squeezed through the opening, having to shimmy out of it a bit. It hurt a little with the sharp pieces poking into him and all but at least he was at the other side. That's all that mattered to him.

"Alex!" Marty kneeled down next to him, pulling the big cat up by the shoulders. He called him and shook him. He was even tempted to smack him before he saw his friend's blue eyes squint open.

"Marty?" Alex whispered, extremely weak as he looked up to his hazy friend.

"Everything's gonna be okay, Al!"

"Marty th-there's something I have to…tell you…" the lion strained out.

"Don't go all final testaments on me now! You're gonna be fine!" The zebra reassured. "Melman's a doctor right? He'll have ya fixed up in no time! …Hey Melman! Squeeze him into your schedule man!"

"Marty-"

"Now I know ya don't have health insurance or HMO or nothin' but I think he'll let ya slide considering you're friends and all."

Alex let out a weak laugh. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

Marty smiled a bit. "Well I hope I am. I try don't I?"

The lion slowly nodded. "Yeah. You do." He groaned then as a sort of pain shot through his chest, looking down hatefully down at the dart that was still in it, blaming that on it with his eyes. He let out a shallow breath as the zebra pulled it out. Funny how it hurt worse coming out than going in.

"You okay?"

"No…" Alex breathed. "I'm not…"

"Sure ya are ya big baby!"

Alex looked at the zebra quizzically. "Marty, I got shot. Don't think that's exactly okay…"

"So? This ain't Roots! Get on back up!" Marty said. "You're the cat, remember?" The zebra finished his statement with the frown and sadness he'd been masking. His muzzle quivered a bit as he let out a small sniff.

"The cat who'll get you all killed if you stay here any longer. She's going to come for me…well, my head…" The lion coughed. "You guys have to get out of here…"

"Alex, you really think I'm going to let someone take my best friend's head away? Melman, Gloria, and I got enough trouble keeping it on you as it is!"

At the mention of his other two friends Alex hastily tried to turn around to see them. He had to say goodbye to them too, even if it killed him…uh…faster.

"Woah, woah there Al! Take it easy! They're right there! We're not going nowhere! We're here with you till the end! You don't have to worry about that!" Marty reassured, pushing the cat back down gently and readjusting to rest Alex's head in his lap. "We'll always be right by you no matter what!"

Alex saddened at these words. He wished he could've been there for them more than the other way around. He was scared. He didn't want to go but he couldn't even feel his legs anymore… "I love you, Marty…"

"Hold up! That sounds like a goodbye to me!" The zebra exclaimed. "Where do you think you're goin'?"

"With my luck…down there…" The lion's claw pointed down to the ground beneath them. "Guys I'm so sor-"

"Shuuut up!" The zebra stretched out, closing the cat's mouth with both his hooves. "Ya don't have to say it, so shuut up! We know. We know everything ya wanna say, Al."

"Mmyou mmdo?" Alex muffled.

"We wouldn't be your friends if we didn't!" Marty said

The cat smiled weakly. "I'm really gonna- …miss you guys…Agh…"

"Didn't I tell you ya weren't going anywhere?"

Alex shook his head as much as he could. "Marty…the…the dart-"

"It's gone ain't it? Outta sight outta mind! " The zebra exclaimed optimistically, trying to lighten up the situation best he could before it would take that turn that his friend would never be able to turn back from. He held in his emotions for the cat.

The lion fought to stay conscious but everything started to shake and blur before his blue eyes. "M-Marty…"

Marty's smile faded as he noticed the paleness of his friend's complexion. "Alex?"

"I'm s-sorry M-Marty…" Alex suddenly felt a chill go through him that was like ice, shaking in shudders. "I w-wasn't a-able to-…"

"Alex? …Alex! What happened to never leaving anything unfinished, huh? You know how much I hate cliffhangers! Alex!" The zebra tried to yell but his voice broke as he slowly put down the body, looking away from it with tears. "Aw Alex…"