Author's Note: Updating time! You like?
~Natty.
Time Runs Out.
~M~
"Aw Alex…" Marty murmured as he slowly lowered his friend's motionless body. He set Alex head down on the ground, his own tears spilling over his bottom eyelids and running down his face. The little droplets of water fell into the lion's mane, making pieces of hair fall lower as result of the moisture.
The zebra used a hoof to pet back the cat's messy hair, once golden and flowing but now scraggly and full of dust. The same could be said about the whiskers.
He couldn't believe this. How could any of this have happened? How could they lose Alex? This was a horrible nightmare! And…it was his fault. If he hadn't of tried to leave New York then…
The monochromatic steed couldn't go on with his thoughts. He wouldn't be able to take it no matter how true he knew it was. His best friend in the whole world was gone and it was all because of him. He just HAD to want to go to the wild right? He just couldn't leave well enough alone! Marty cursed himself in absolutely every way.
Oh Alex…Alex…ALEX…, he exclaimed in his head. Wait that wasn't in his head and that sure as heck wasn't his voice. It was a bunch of voices all mixed into one, all chanting the same thing.
"A-lex…A-lex…A-lex…A-lex…A-lex…A-lex…A-lex…A-lex…!"
Would they shut up? Didn't they know what just happened? What were they cheering for? The zebra tried to peer around the big rock pedestal. He couldn't see much, just some of the crowd from either side of the stone structure in the middle of the habitat.
The announcement speaker came to life as a man spoke over it probably from the microphone in front of the mass of people. "Well it seems that Alex is tired from his trip. Poor guy is knocked out."
Then DuBois' sinful voice came leaning into the speaker from the side. Her tone held no regret. If anything it was annoyed at the idiots who thought the lion was still alive. "Yes, what a shame..." Her voice was far from shameful. There was glee in her and she barely hid it if she did at all. "Monsieur, when does this ehh…festivities end? I must…" The French woman's voice laughed to herself. "…collect my luggage, for I have a festival all my own to get to…"
The man laughed to her too in obliviousness. He wrapped an arm around her with a modest smile. "Madame DuBois nothing is more festive than Alex the lion…
To that DuBois responded in her own laugh horrifically. "Yes well not anymore…"
Marty couldn't listen anymore. He turned back to Alex who still hadn't moved a centimeter and he hadn't expected him to. This was real. This was happening. This was horrible. Alex…wasn't breathing. "ALEX!" He shouted, trying to shake the cat alive again. He couldn't. With a sob he felt two sets of eyes gazing on him and the zebra turned to his other two friends who stood pressed up against the gates to see what was happening or if their hurt friend was alive.
Gloria and Melman had wide expectant eyes, hopeful yet panicked. They wanted an answer just as much as Marty didn't want to know it. Both inevitable.
Tears streaming down, Marty solemnly shook his head. He heard the two gasps but closed his eyes that were blinded from his crying. The zebra pulled Alex's body up close, starting to cry into his dead friend's golden dusty fur. All hope was lost, it was all over…until he looked up and saw the newly named Afro Circus.
"Da da da da da da da da da circus da da da da da da daafro circus afro circus afro polka dot polka dot polka dot afro!"
Saved! If only he could get them down here! Marty let go of the lion's body and started trying to wave them down. He cast a look to the unmoving body. "Don't worry Alex, we're not losing you without a good old fight!" The zebra turned back up to the sky with newfound determination, calling to the sky for help.
Above the Central Park Zoo however, help was already planned out. Just not for the situation at hand. It had been a well thought out in and out rescue mission, get in and out with all hippies intact and well. All survivors, the leader had told them. Too bad that simultaneously as he gave that order in the Central Park was the same second Alex had gotten shot but Skipper had shrugged off the feeling of impending doom directly after he said it as nothing. How cruel and humorous the universe was.
"Is Operation: Afro Circus Rescue ready to engage?" The lead penguin asked, looking back at the hoard of at attention circus animals in rainbow wigs.
"Yes, sir!" Kowalski confirmed.
"Aye aye, Skipper!" Private announced.
"We are-a ready!" Stefano nodded in from his cannon.
Gia gave a nod herself, holding onto her trapeze bar ready to play her part in the rescue mission. She was determined and looked ahead but her face fell as her brain registered something wrong. "Alex…?" She murmured quietly and in question.
Vitaly scoffed. "I do not see point of rescuing lion and group of liars. They will just lie again and what then? We go through same thing over!"
"Vitaly, we-a have to-a help them!" The sea lion affirmed, looking back from the cannon at the tiger.
"We have to do nothing." The tiger responded, large arms folded over his tight chest.
"Hey Garfield, we know you hate Monday's and that psychotic lion but we don't leave a man behind!" Skipper exclaimed. "Now, Operation: Afro Circus Rescue enga-"
"Wait!" Gia shouted and dropped her rope handle. She ran over to the leader penguin.
"What?" The leader bird looked at her. "Does everyone have objections to this thing?"
"No, something is wrong!" The jaguar assured him in panic.
"What is?" Skipper asked.
"I do not know but it is serious!" Gia pleaded.
Skipper shook his confused head. "Doll, you know you're not getting into my head at all. To think I thought you were a hippie just like the rest of them."
"Alex is on the floor!" Gia told them desperately. "He is not sitting or standing."
Vitaly perked an ear and brow at that, a miniscule hint of concern but barely to make it look existent. "Does he roll over?"
The jaguar shook her head sadly, her ears drooping a bit. "He does not do that either…"
The leader raised his brow. "Then what's he doing?"
"Perhaps-a he is-a sleeping?" Stefano voice his opinion, squinting to see more of the fallen lion and what looked like to be a kneeling Marty down below.
"Unlikely." Skipper denied and looked around. "Who has binoculars?"
The circus animals looked between each other blankly, all turning up empty. One elephant trumpeted its trunk with a shrug, a small blaze of colored fire coming out.
"And why we need to be carrying that, sharply dressed leader bird?" Vitaly asked.
Private chirped up with a smile hopefully, crossed eyes gleaming. "Perhaps for situations like this." His tail feathers wagged a bit, thinking he gave a helpful answer.
"Who was talking to you, less sharply dressed smaller bird?" The tiger inquired with a glare to the little private who frowned immensely with his blank of emotion eyes.
Skipper shook his head. "I don't like this, not one bit. We're going in, boys."
"Aye, sir…" Private complied, stepping up bit still keeping a wary frightened eye on the Russian tiger. Literally one eye since the small penguin was cross-eyed.
Soon the four flightless birds were in a line at the edge, ready for their descent. Skipper pointed to the one nearest the gold trapeze rope discarded on the flying circus platform floor. "Shoot us a line, lover boy!"
King Julien blinked back at them blankly from atop his hairy queen's shoulder. "…What?" No help as always as the lemur king just blinked and blinked at the penguins.
The chimps in the King of Versailles disguise picked up their guitar. Mason nodded. "I believe we've got it, Skipper." He strummed a chord and the cannon connected to it was activated.
Stefano's cannon began to rumble with him inside of it. Again second thoughts filled his mind. "WAIT!" The seal was blasted off, down into the Central Park Zoo with a gold line attached to him, shooting down as well.
Skipper nodded. "Always one man you can count on. Let's roll!"
The penguins one by one jumped forward. Skipper jumped first, grabbing onto the rope while Rico grabbed his ankles and this made a penguin chain, Kowalski grabbing Rico's ankles and lastly little Private who hadn't know what they were doing before to scrambled on stubby legs to jump off too to grab hold of Kowalski's ankles just in time as they started to almost zip line down the rope.
Stefano screamed on his way down, attracting the attention of the three mourning zooster's below. The sea lion that was not a seal slammed face first into the fence in the lion habitat Marty and Alex were in.
Marty looked up in surprise. He'd known they were up there but as the flying circus had been on standby doing nothing, he had refocused his attention on his fallen best friend, so had the others. "Stefano?" He brightened up. "I'm sorry to say it but man am I glad to see you falling in!"
"I-a missed you-a too Marty!" Stefano replied, sliding off the caged wall and on the ground with an oof.
"Can ya help us out?" The zebra asked seriously now.
"Help-a is on-a the way!" The sea lion said.
"It's closer than you think!" Skipper announced as he landed in front of the three mammals, each one of the other penguins landing in a row behind him.
"Skipper!" Marty exclaimed. "I'm even happier to see you guys! Uh, no offense!" He apologized to Stefano.
"No-a harm-a done!" Stefano shrugged.
"Can you help us?" Marty asked desperately to the birds.
"Of course, Stripes! It's what we're here for!" The leader replied. "What do you need?"
"It's Alex! I don't think-" The zebra paused as he looked down at the lion regretfully. I don't think he's alive. "You guys gotta help him fast!"
"Hippie down! Private, get back up!" Skipper ordered and the little penguin waddled off hastily to follow the command. "Kowalski, cat took a nasty bump, doesn't look like his bushy mop broke his fall, keep his head elevated! Rico-"
There was a sinful silky chuckle from above. "I do not think you will get far with that." DuBois stood in front of them, hands on her hips and her ruby red lips perked.
Marty got in front of Alex's body with a gasp, determined to keep the insane woman away from him.
Apparently this was Skipper's plan too as he finished giving his orders. "Rico, get the seal out of here!" The leader's eyes narrowed in determination as he encouraged DuBois forward with a flipper. "This crazy woman's all mine…"