That night, Dr. S was up in the tree that held King Julien's hut. He was hidden among a cluster of leaves, using a pair of binoculars to peer through the hut's windows, the home within illuminated by candlelight. He had promised Clover that he would keep close tabs on Julien's uncle and Zora but had realized that he had been doing a pretty poor job of that so far, having only seen the couple sparingly since Clover went back to her kingdom, nowhere near watching their every move like she so desperately wanted him to. So now, he was trying to make good on his promise by staking out where King Julien's unwanted guests were staying, catching glimpses of them here and there within the king's home.
Dear gods, did he have quite the orders to carry out, Dr. S thought to himself. Protect Uncle King Julien but also be ready to kill him if need be. Protect Zora but don't kill her even if she tries to kill King Julien, Clover being adamant that if it came to it, he must apprehend the older Julien's lover without harming her least he harm the unborn child that she could be carrying.
Clover didn't say that last part out loud but Dr. S knew that's what she meant.
For when he asked Clover what he should do with Zora if he did catch her in an evil plot to kill King Julien, seemingly wondering if he should kill her along with his majesty's uncle, Dr. S knew that Clover had been afraid not because she feared that her loved ones would never forgive her if she said yes but because, even if she wouldn't admit it, there was a small part of her that did believe it was possible Zora really was pregnant and had feared for her possible unborn child. Because no matter how confident she sounded as she argued that the whole pregnancy was a lie and that Zora and Uncle King Julien needed to be stopped at all costs, Clover would never risk harming an innocent baby, not even one that probably didn't exist. But she believed that Dr. S would.
He didn't blame her for thinking that way. After all, he was a predator and his prey did sometimes include baby animals. And then there were his victims that he didn't prey on for survival but tortured with agonizingly painful procedures for his own amusement, not caring if he killed them in the process. He was a stone cold killer and Clover had every right to be afraid. And yet, the thought of harming Zora made even his skin crawl and despite Clover's fears, he wasn't going to suggest killing her. He wouldn't, he couldn't, not as long as it was even remotely possible that she really was carrying a baby. Like Clover, he didn't want to risk harming an innocent life.
And then, Dr. S found himself wondering why he cared about harming an innocent life that probably didn't exist. It wasn't like he cared about other innocent babies that he knew for sure existed, that he gobbled up without the slightest hint of remorse. And yes, that included baby lemurs...then he realized he couldn't remember the last time that he ate a baby lemur or an adult lemur for that matter. Sure, lemur had never been his favorite food but he had still enjoyed an occasional panicky primate in the past. But then, he became best friends with a lemur who come to find out, actually cared a great deal about his fellow lemurs and while they hadn't gotten the chance to discuss it, Dr. S knew that Nurse Phantom didn't want him to hurt Zora, didn't want him to take even the slightest chance of hurting a little lemur. So, maybe he cared about Zora's maybe baby vicariously through Nurse Phantom, just he did for everyone else under his protection. Yeah, that must be it.
Suddenly, Dr. S was startled out of his bemusing thoughts by the sound of a door opening. He looked back to the hut and saw that the front door was open with Zora standing at it's threshold. She was scowling in his direction and walked over to stand before his hiding spot.
"I know you're in there, Dr. S." She said sternly.
"What!? N-no! You are mistaken! I am not this Dr. S! I-I am a bird! Yeah! Tweet tweet!" Dr. S said lamely in a panic.
"Birds don't have scaly tails." Was Zora's unamused response and pointed at the tip of Dr. S's tail, which was sticking out of the leaves in plain sight.
"What the...are you kidding me!? Ugh! Fine!" Dr. S said in frustration and slide out into the open.
"So, I see Clover's got you spying on us." Zora said curtly.
Dr. S was taken aback for a moment, then said, meek and embarrassed, "...Is it that obvious?"
"If you were here on a surprise house call, surely Nurse Phantom would be with you and even if you were working alone, you wouldn't be hiding out here." Zora pointed out critically.
"No, no I wouldn't." Dr. S admitted.
Crap! His cover was blown! Now what was he supposed to do? He couldn't hide but he couldn't just leave! He had to keep Zora in his sights to protect King Julien. Who really believed that she was telling the truth, that she really was afraid not just for her own life but the lives of her growing family too. Who was really upset that she was upset over Dr. S being head of security. And that's when Dr. S got an idea and began to nervously say to Zora, "So, speaking of me, there are some things that I want to tell you. About me."
"Save it! I already know what you're going to say! You're going to tell me that protecting everyone isn't just some game to you! That you're not playing solider because you got bored of playing doctor! That you really are taking your new responsibilities seriously and that I should trust you not only with my life but my child's and my Julien's! Am I right!? Is that what you want to tell me!?" Zora snapped while keeping a critical violet glare on Dr. S.
Who wilted under her harsh gaze, meekly bowed his head and said, "Yes."
Zora took a shaking breath and then snarled, "Okay then, here's something you can tell me yourself. Why should I believe you? Why should I believe that you can care about anyone besides yourself!?"
"Because I care about Nurse Phantom!" Dr. S passionately proclaimed. Zora was taken aback by this answer and remained so as he went on to tell her, now more meek but still just as sincere, "Turns out I care about Nurse Phantom a lot more then I thought and that he cares about you other lemurs...a lot more then I thought. Back when Timo's robots were destroying everything...wait, did you hear about that?"
"Yes, a little. King Julien ordered Timo to built a bunch of robots to try and protect the kingdom but they all ended up wrecking everything instead." Zora said with a sneer as she recalled hers and Julien's conversation with Ted and Dorothy the previous day.
"And hurting a buttload of lemurs that me and Nurse Phantom had to take care of afterwards every fricking time!" Dr. S bitterly complained, inwardly shuddering at the memory of the grueling workload and the hunger that had come with it. Then, his tone softened into solemn sadness. "I knew that Nurse Phantom was down in the dumps about it. He stopped getting mad at patients for refusing his refreshments. Stopped dramatically playing his keyboard while I treated them. He even begged me not to use the saw! Or to electrocute anybody! He said that...that everyone was going through enough torture. That's when he told me how awful he felt about everything, that his heart was breaking over everyone's pain, especially when people talked about feeling abandoned and that they were all going to die...but I still had no idea just how much it affected him. Then one night, I'm going about my business trying to squeeze in some hunting, when here comes Nurse Phantom and King Julien running towards me, screaming their lungs out, with a fossa right behind them! And then next thing I know, I'm saving their lives and then King Julien proposes the craziest plan I've ever…!" By then, his recount was becoming increasingly frantic but then it stopped when he realized that it wasn't being interrupted. He looked at Zora and asked her with great confusion, "Uh, isn't this the part where you go 'You saved their lives!?'?", complete with mock incredulousness.
"I would if Ted and Dorothy hadn't already told me this yesterday." Was Zora's irritable answer.
To which Dr. S said simply, "Oh.", surprised and a bit embarrassed. But her answer also jogged something within his mind and in realization asked, "Wait, so did they tell you about me replacing Clover?"
"Yep and they also told me that King Julien came up with the 'brilliant' idea in the first place because if you can protect him and Nurse Phantom once, then surely you can do the same for everybody else all the time!" Zora said with scathing sarcasm, with Dr. S wincing in response. Then, her own memory was jogged and she asked, curious and critical, "And that woman said something about King Julien making up a sign from Frank…?"
"He didn't make it up!" Dr. S blurted out. Then, became self conscious and continued in a more subdued but still earnest manner, "Right before he and Nurse Phantom were attacked, King Julien was begging Frank for a sign that would show him a way to protect his people! Then, I save King Julien and Nurse Phantom and King Julien thinks that it must be the sign that he was praying for! That it was Frank's way of saying that I was meant to protect the kingdom! And I know that it's crazy, believe me! Personally, I don't believe for one second that what happened that night was anything other then dumb luck but King Julien really believes that it was something more! You gotta believe that!"
Zora didn't answer right away but kept a scrutinizing gaze on the snake doctor as she mulled over his answer until finally she asked, "Does anyone else believe in this "sign'?
"Uh, besides Mort, I'm not sure...nobody did at first, I can tell ya that!" Dr. S said, slow and unsure at first before switching to agitated confidence which grew as he went on with, "When King Julien first told everybody else the plan, everybody and I mean everybody, was pissed! On top of already being angry over the freaks and the robots and Clover and believing that King Julien loves Clover more then them…!"
"Hold it! Hold it! Back up! Freaks?" Zora irritably interrupted, confused.
At this, Dr. S resumed his restless recount, growing more and more frantic as he went. "The freaks were a bunch of strange animals that showed up right after Clover left, during the wedding reception! They scared away the fossa and of course, everyone wanted them to stay and keep protecting them but the freaks didn't! They wanted to go home and thinking that things with the fossa was just business as usual, tried to go home but couldn't! And rather then force them to stay here against their will forever, King Julien promised that Timo would built them a way home but only if they protected the kingdom until Timo built something else that could replace them! And that's where the robots come in and you know how that turned out and after two weeks of one disaster after another, everyone was super mad and wanted King Julien to force Cover back into her old job but he refused to do it! And that's when he prayed to Frank, received his 'sign' and proceeded to make everyone even more mad! Seriously, besides him and Nurse Phantom, no one liked the plan! Everyone thought that he had gone crazy and once again, accused him of not caring about them and of course, no one trusted me! But wait, it gets even crazier! Pancho gets the idea to make a bet! Everyone has to give me a chance to protect them but if I fail at any time, then King Julien has to make Clover come back! And King Julien agrees to it because he believes that I'll succeed and everyone else agrees because they believe that I'll fail and I believe that I'll fail and I'm thinking to myself that I just want to get this over with so I can back to my cave!" Dr. S rose up dramatically and was accompanied by dark clouds that suddenly shrouded the stars, flashing lighting and roaring thunder in their place. Then, as quick as they came, the clouds rolled away and stars once again shone across a jet black sky.
After that, Dr. S caught his breath and lowered himself back to Zora's eye level. But then, he suddenly became sheepish and turned his face away. "Part of the plan involved me and Nurse Phantom moving to within the village so that I could respond faster in an emergency but I...the next morning, I...I left to go hunting!" He tentatively told Zora at first before blurting out, facing her with shame wrapped tightly around his heart as rueful words continued to pour from it like blood. "I had been so busy ever since everything started that I had no time to hunt and I was so hungry! I didn't want to go crazy and-and try to eat Nurse Phantom! Or our patients! I was just going to get a quick bite! I didn't think the fossa would show up while I was gone but they did and some headed right for our patients! When me and Nurse Phantom moved all of our stuff, they had to move all of our patients who were staying with us too, including the ones who were stuck in their beds that now faced a bunch of blood thirsty fossa that they couldn't run away from! But Nurse Phantom!? King Julien, Hector, Becca!? Everybody who could run away!? They didn't run away! They all stayed and stood between the patients and the fossa, ready to fight to their deaths!"
"Wait, what!? Back up! Nurse Phantom!? You're telling me that Nurse Phantom was willing to lay down his life like that!?" Zora incredulously interrupted, having a hard time believing that the Nurse Phantom she knew would be willing to make such a sacrifice, especially for lemurs that he regularly partook in torturing for sick kicks.
"Yes, he was and if you don't believe me, then ask anyone who was there! They'll tell you the same thing! Nurse Phantom was ready to sacrifice himself for our patients and thank the gods that I came back before he or anyone else could!" Dr. S paused for a moment as his mind flashed to what could have been, letting out a shuddering breath. He then shoved that to the side and continued. "After I drove the fossa away, I was so happy and relived and-and angry and confused and I took Nurse Phantom aside and demanded him to tell me what in Frank's name had possessed him to do something so stupid!? You wanna know what he told me? He said that he didn't want anyone to feel even more abandoned then they already did! That he couldn't leave our patients to die even if it meant himself dying! And that's when I finally realized just how much he really did care for everyone! How much me protecting them meant to him! And even after what I did, cause I was trying not to go crazy hungry enough to start eating lemurs, everyone trusted me to keep protecting them! So I have!" Was Dr. S's earnest answer, his words softened by sincere awe that trailed off as the gravity of all hit him once more, causing him to go silent for a moment or two as he was unable to tear himself away from what felt like a lifetime ago. Then, he remembered Zora and focused back on her. "I am fighting for the entire kingdom, honest I am! To tell you the truth, I have a little more respect for everybody now, knowing how much they all care for each other! But Nurse Phantom is the one that I care about the most! He's the biggest reason why I'm taking my new responsibilities more serious then anything I ever have ever! I swear!"
Dr. S went silent then but kept imploring Zora with his eyes, his amber gaze a soft glow against the limited light. Zora for her part didn't respond right away but silently met his gaze with her own unreadable one until finally, her scowl deepened and she said with a sneer,
"Is that why you've been training with Clover?"
"Oh, you heard about that too?" Dr. S asked, her demeanor making him uneasy.
"Yep. After leaving everyone for dead, the bitch finally decided to train someone!" Zora snarled and her criticism made Dr. S even more uncomfortable but he pushed through his uneasiness to solemnly say in defense,
"She wants me to be the best head of security I can be so I can do a better job of keeping everyone safe. It's also been a test to see just how serious I am about the job, if I'll stick with it even when it's really hard...or really hurts." And that made him think about how skeptical Clover had been about him taking on the job too. How agreeing to her teaching him and enduring her grueling training had helped to somewhat ease her mind. Maybe, just maybe seeing him in action for herself might do the same for Zora.
"Hey uh, maybe tomorrow, you could follow me around and I could show you some of what I've learned so far. I have to keep an eye on you anyways, you might as well shadow me instead of me stalking you. What do ya say?" Was his awkward offer.
Well, this certainly took Zora by surprise, turning her stern gaze stunned. She silently stared back at Dr. S for a moment or two, trying to find a response, when she suddenly got an idea. An utterly insane idea but maybe, just maybe...
"Fine, you can show me what Clover's taught you if you let me teach you too!" Zora said, firm and begrudging.
"Wh-what?" Dr. S stuttered in stunned disbelief. He had not expected that response.
"We wouldn't be fighting, obviously. It would be more like...I would teach you different battle moves and draw them out for you. Teach you how to get inside your opponent's head, how to spot the slightest hints of possible dangers, stuff along those lines. After all, there's more to defense then just blindly charging into battle." Zora solemnly made her case as the gears turned within her mind.
"Yeah, Clover's told me the same thing. She's showed me a little bit of that stuff along with fighting me." Dr. S said, uneasy about this idea while also inwardly shuddering as he recalled Clover beating him up over and over again as part of their lessons. Lessons that were definitely on hold for a while with all the crap Clover currently had to deal with. She wouldn't have time to teach him for who knows how long but Zora did and this way, he could continue his training while keeping an eye on Zora too!
"Oh, what the hell! You gotta a deal!" Dr. S told Zora enthusiastically and held out the tip of his tail for her to shake.
"Good!" Zora said firmly and grabbed onto Dr. S. Then, they shook paw and tail to seal the deal.
…
After that, Dr. S slithered down to the base of the tree where he would resume his watch over the kingdom's newest residents while Zora walked back into the hut where she was immediately greeted by Julien's irate and incredulous questioning.
"What the hell are you doing!? Training him!? Are you serious!?"
Zora was stunned by his anger but got over her shock to furrow her brow and firmly say, "Yes, I am."
"But...don't tell me you believe that bull that he's doing it all for Nurse Phantom!?"
"I don't know what to believe! Okay!? It's crazy to think that Dr. S can care about anyone but...why go through all this!? What could he possibly have to gain!? If this is all a big fucked up game to him...now that I'm really thinking about training and the kind that Clover must be giving him...if this started as a game for him, then I don't think he's having fun anymore! Oh, I can see him having a blast chasing fossa but training with Clover!? If she is doing it to trick everyone into believing that she cares, then she must be making Dr. S go through the ringer to make it believable and for him to keep doing it...why!? Why go through that!? Why go through all the trouble to pretend to care when you're always either upfront about not caring or really bad at hiding it!? But then again, I heard that he does have some secrets...that he has Nurse Phantom bury for him! Ugh! I don't know! I don't know what to think!" Zora argued in vexation.
"Then why train him!?"
"Because he's all we have!"
Well, this certainly got Julien's attention and he attentively listened as Zora went on to argue, earnest and fearful, "He's all we have standing between us and the fossa! We both know that they're craving lemurs now more then ever and what all the crap going on with Campion and Clover, that makes this kingdom the safest place that we and our baby can be now! And like it or not, that is because of Dr. S! But that doesn't mean that I want to train him! I don't trust him! Even if he is being sincere, I don't trust him to keep this kingdom safe! But apparently, he's been doing a great job so far and I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that he keeps it up! I have to! For the sake of our family, I have to try!"
By then, Zora's desperate words had bore down deep into Julien's heart and coupled with her imploring misty eyes, replaced his staggered anger with sincere shame.
"Agh, dammit! Dammit, you're right! He's all we've got and we've got to make it work! For all our sakes! I'm sorry!" He conceded, with anger towards himself that turned in tenderness towards Zora.
Zora didn't respond but instead, turned her face away and bit her lip as her eyes filled with tears.
"Zora? Zora, no please! Please don't cry! I'm sorry! I should have let you explain instead of jumping down your throat! I'm so sorry! Please don't cry!" Julien begged ruefully and closed the gap between them to grab Zora's arms gently.
"It's not you!" Zora snapped and pulled away from his touch. "What if I can't teach him! What if he won't listen to me!? What if he decides that it's too hard or he screws up so bad that...I don't want Clover to come back! She hates you! It would be so easy for her to look the other way as you're dragged away by a fossa! And even she didn't hate you, she left everyone, even her own friends to die once! Whose to say she won't do it again!?" Was her anguished answer.
"Clover's not coming back! Dr. S will listen to you, I know it! You know all about whipping assholes into shape! If anyone can make him listen, it's you!" Julien tenderly, earnestly argued.
"...Whipping assholes into shape?" Zora asked, confused.
"Me, babe! I'm talking about me! When I'm being a jackass, you call me out on my crap! You get me to stop and think and give a crap about other people! You-you make me want me to be a better person! And if you get a stubborn asshole like me to listen, then I don't see why you can't do the same with Dr. S!"
Zora was stunned by this argument but got over it to give her own. "I may tell you when you've done something wrong but you choose what to do about it! You choose to try to be a better person! Cause you're a lot more caring then you think, Jules!" She tenderly, earnestly argued back. Then, she scowled and added critically, "I can't force Dr. S to care and I can't force him to listen if he doesn't want to!"
"If he is telling the truth, even just the slightest bit, he'll want to!"
"You don't know if he is!" Zora retorted.
Julien opened his mouth to argue but, finding himself lost for words, shut it back up instead. After a moment, Zora's scowl crumbled and she turned her face away from his. She then walked over to the bed and sat down, hunched over and rested her elbows on her lap. Julien came over to sit next to her and said, soft and sincere,
"You're right. I don't know how he feels or what he's gonna do but I know you! I know that you are determined and don't take any bull and if anyone can through his thick skull, it's you!"
Zora in response breathed in and out a shaking breath while tears slide down her cheeks, their shine caught in the candlelight. Julien's heart ached at the sight and he laid a gentle paw on Zora's arm.
"I'll help you! I'll do everything I can to help you so that you and our baby are safe! I promise!" He reassured with tender sadness, helplessly lost on any other words that may ease his lover's pain. He then gently squeezed Zora's arm and leaned against her. Zora took another shaking breath, squeezed her eyes shut, leaned into his touch and melted into it. And they stayed like that for some time, no words as they wept side by side.
….
And so, Dr. S's training was back on track with a brand new teacher and they began bright and early the next morning. Class was set up in an open clearing with a large chalkboard on wheels placed front and center, a chair for Zora beside it and some fruit and water sitting on a nearby small table. Dr. S settled before the board and spoke not a word as Zora checked to make sure that she had enough chalk for the day's lesson and inspected a long pointing stick she had acquired for the occasion. Once she was done with her preparations, she then turned to face Dr. S from her place beside the board and slapped it with her stick.
"Right! Let's begin! First things first, what are some things that Clover's already taught you?" Zora asked, firm, commanding and critical.
"Oh, um...oh, oh! Before she left, Clover was teaching me how to better scout around places for possible signs of danger! She's already shown me ways to tell if a fossa or other animals have been around that-that I had no idea of! Me! A guy who tracks down animals for a living!" Dr. S offered with enthusiastic awe, raising and waving his tail as he did.
"Okay, show me some of that and we'll go from there." Zora instructed.
So, Dr. S proceeded to recite and demonstrate what he had learned, with Zora piping in with questions, correcting his mistakes and filling in gaps of information along the way. Then, a short while after this started, Abner and Becca happened upon the scene. When he saw teacher and student together, Abner opened his mouth to express his confusion but Becca placed her paw over it, leaned closed to Abner and told him in an urgent whisper, "Shush, hon!"
She then quickly wheeled him behind a nearby tree and the pair poked their heads around it to resume watching the strange scene. They watched as Dr. S showed Zora moves that looked somewhat familiar and listened as student and teacher exchanged what felt like recognizable dialogue.
Abner leaned close to Becca and whispered in her ear, "Hey Becca, am I imagining or are Dr. S and Zora going over the same stuff he's been going over with Clover?"
"You ain't imagining! Why, Zora's gone and taken over his training!" Becca proclaimed with outrage in a not so quiet whisper.
"But that don't make no sense! Why would Zora wanna train Dr. S?" Abner wondered out loud and scratched his head in confusion.
"For the same reasons as Clover of course! To keep on Dr. S and King Julien's good sides! Along with tricking other people into trusting her! Why, I bet ya that Zora heard about Clover training Dr. S and decided to copy her!" Becca argued with scathing conviction, again none too quietly.
"You guys do know that I'm okay with people watching me train, right?"
Dr. S's voice suddenly piped in. At this, Abner and Becca froze, then they slowly looked over their shoulders to see their scaly savior hovering over them along with Zora. This caused the pair to let out startled yelps and Becca to lean unto Abner which sent them both falling over backwards, with Abner and his chair landing on their backs with a thump while Becca did a flip and landed on her belly with a flop. And as they moaned and lay sprawled out on the ground, Dr. S and Zora came over to hover above them once more.
"Seriously, you can watch me in plain sight like everybody else." Dr. S told them with mild annoyance. Then, he turned to Zora. "They spy on me and Clover too."
"Really?" Zora said, also annoyed and not the least bit surprised.
"Yeah and we ain't apologizing!" Becca said in defiance.
"Yeah!" Abner agreed wholeheartedly, raising a fist while remaining flat on his back.
"...Help him up!" Zora irritably ordered Dr. S, who at this command, gently lifted Abner along with his chair and put them right up.
Once that was done, Zora let out an irritated sigh and sternly said to the couple, "Look, if you two want to keep watching us, fine! Just keep it down and stay out of the way, got it!?", her tone telling them that her conditions weren't a request.
"Why you...agh, fine!" Becca started to argue before she thought better of it and begrudgingly conceded, throwing her arms up in the air before then crossing them over her chest.
Abner went along with his wife and soon, class resumed with him and Becca watching from the sidelines. This went on for a short while (with Becca pouting all the while) when Ted happened upon the scene.
When he spotted Dr. S, he was hit by a fresh wave of anxiety that was compounded even farther when he saw Zora. He had been looking for Dr. S to discuss a very important manner but now, that was going to be even harder with Zora around, for he just knew that she was still angry with him and Dorothy for defending Clover several days prior. Then again, he didn't want to avoid her forever nor did he want to. And by then, Dorothy had at least made an attempt at reconciliation, bringing Zora and the older Julien a quiche as a peace offering. The couple took the quiche without saying a word to Dorothy but at least she had tried to talk to them, which was more then Ted could say for himself.
But then again, Zora and Dr. S looked mighty busy talking about...wait, why were they talking to each other? Ted figured that Zora would be even less inclined to speak with the snake doctor and yet, there she was, conversing with him about...and that's when Ted listened and realized that they were going over the same lessons that Dr. S had learned from Clover! Was Zora teaching him now too!?
"Oh, hey Ted."
Ted flinched and let out a startled yelp in response to Dr S's friendly greeting, then became anxious still when he saw that all eyes were now on him. While Dr. S's gaze was concerned and confused, everyone else gave Ted cold glares. He wasn't surprised to have the ire of Abner and Becca either, knowing that he had incurred it from them along with most everyone else in the kingdom when he had initially been overjoyed at the news of Zora and Uncle King Julien's child. Though, their stares still stung along with Zora's and he wilted from the harsh spotlight.
"Uh, h-hi Zora." Ted timidly told her. Then, he turned to Dr. S and said with mock perkiness, "H-hi, Dr. S. Boy, ain't this a lucky happenstance! You're just the snake I was looking for!"
"O-kay, sure, what's up?" Dr. S asked, slow and confused.
"Well, it...actually kinda has to do with our conversation the other day, Zora." Ted said, turning from Dr. S to Zora, his very real anxiety showing ever increasingly. "A-about Clover leaving without anybody to replace her, that is."
"Oh, good grief! Not this again!" Zora rolled her eyes and complained in an exasperated manner.
"Please let me finish!" Ted begged, then went on to tentatively tell everyone, "What I'm trying to say is...that's not entirely true. Ya see, since I was assistant captain of the ringtail guard before Clover left, after she left, by process of going down the ranks, I was...technically, I'm now...I'm Captain of the Ringtail Guard!" He frantically blurted out at the end, closed his eyes and braced himself for an onslaught of scorn.
.
.
.
"...Oh yeah! You was assistant captain! Huh, now that ya mention it, I think I plum forgot that!" Abner said in realization, not angry, just mild surprised. Upon hearing this response, Ted opened his eyes and stared at him in shock.
"Y-yeah, well, if ya ask me, I think everybody forgot that. I forgot for a time until...that night." Ted told him, with stunned confusion at first that turned into solemn sadness as he remembered Sage and Clover's wedding reception. When that terrible realization along with others slammed into and enveloped his heart like one nightmarish swarm.
"Yeah, well, we was all too busy trying to please mister and missus high and mighty to think about much else!" Becca snarled, her scowl deepening with her teeth and bitterness bared.
There was brief awkward pause after that until Zora broke it by irritably asking Ted,
"What's the point of this, Ted? Do you have something important to say or not!?"
"What the...this is important! For land's sakes, I've been captain this whole time and I've done nothing, nothing to try and protect everyone! Why are you all so calm about this!?" Ted demanded and looked around at everyone in increasingly manic frustration. This took the others aback and it was all they could do at first but stare at him in stunned silence. Then, after a moment or two, they all looked at each other, then back at Ted.
"Uh, Ted, what could you have done? You're a wuss and judging by the last time he was around, Snake's a wuss now too." Dr. S bluntly pointed out.
For not long after the war with Koto, he had been able to temporarily bring back Ted's alter ego, Snake. While he was out and about, there was an incident where Snake had gotten angry with Mort and challenged the much smaller lemur to a fight but Zora got between them and Snake had backed out in fear of the much larger lemur. After that, word spread fast that the once courageous Snake was now too cowardly to face even one mountain lemur in combat and people were quick to tell Ted this when he came back.
"Y-yes, but...Snake, he..."
"If he wouldn't fight just me, then what hope would he have against a pack of fossa?" Zora asked critically.
"Or even if Snake could fight the fossa by himself, I still don't think that would be a good plan, Ted! Every time there's danger, you would have to rush to the hospital, me and Nurse Phantom would have to prep everything up and prep you and while we're doing all that, the fossa or whatever else is threatening the kingdom would have more then enough time to kill people in the meantime! Or if you wanted to be Snake all the time, whose to say that you stay Snake all the time!? You turned back into you after the war ended and got shocked back the last time! Either one could happen again at any time! Snake's just not reliable, Ted!" Dr. S added his own critic with great conviction and Zora giving him an increasingly incredulous stare, floored that he could think through all that and that she found herself agreeing with him.
Ted too stared at Dr. S in stunned disbelief, though he quickly got over his shock to give his snappish response. "How did you...oh, that's just great! You've been talking to Maurice, haven't you!?"
"Maurice?" Dr. S asked, confused.
"Yes, Maurice! He said the same dang thing when I brought up Snake to him and King Julien! And they've gone and told you, haven't they!?"
"What, no! This is the first I've heard anything about Snake since this whole crazy mess started!" Dr. S said in his defense, greatly confused over Ted's sudden hostility.
"Hold it!" Zora piped in, so that she could critically inquire of Ted, "So, you brought up Snake to King Julien and Maurice? Does this mean you told them about you being captain too?"
"Yes." Ted grumbled.
"Wait, they already know that? Since when?" Dr. S asked.
"Since the day after the wedding reception. But like ya'll, King Julien went on about Snake being a wimp and Maurice went logic police on me!" Was Ted's bitter answer.
"But if they already shot your idea down, then are you telling me?" Dr. S wished to know, his confusion mounting.
"Because it ain't right!" Ted snapped, causing Dr. S to wince from the volume and force of his words. Then, Ted went on to lament with bitter ruefulness, "It ain't right that it was so easy for KJ and Maurice to convince me to not become Snake! It ain't right that I was more then happy to do nothing while everyone was suffering! I should have done something! I should have demanded that you turn me into Snake! See if what happened with Zora was him having a bad day or-or what! Who knows, maybe he could have saved the day! Or he could have failed miserably! But even then, at least I could say that I tried! At least, I wouldn't be a no good dirty coward!"
Well, this certainly took everyone else aback and it was all anyone could do, even after Ted finished and began to huff and puff for breath, but stare at him in stunned silence for some moments until Dr. S was able to tell him with gentle concern,
"I-It's okay, Ted..."
"No, it's not! I don't deserve to be captain, you do! That's why I want to quit and give the title to you!" Ted argued in earnest.
"What?" Dr. S said, stunned as was everyone else.
"You deserve it so much more then me! You've already done a better job of protecting everyone then I ever could! Might as well make it official!" Ted continued to make his case, earnest and humble.
"Ted, I...I don't know…" Dr. S said, stunned and unsure.
"What!? Why not!? I can't believe I'm saying this but Ted's right! You have done a better job of protecting us then anyone! You absolutely deserve this!" Becca said, incredulous and sincere.
"But I don't feel like I've earned it!" Dr. S anxiously insisted.
"Not ear...what the Sam Hill are you talking about!? Ever since you started the job, you've done more for all of us then anyone! You saved us! You actually give a damn about us! Of course you've earned it!" Becca passionately argued back.
"Yeah!" Abner wholeheartedly agreed.
To which Dr. S frantically looked this way and that, from husband to wife as he said, "But-but I'm still a rookie! I'm still learning! I'm flattered, really, but…!"
"Please!" Ted pleaded and Dr. S whipped his head around to face him. "Nothing would really change for you! You wouldn't be doing anything more then what you're already doing! Really, in these circumstances, since you would be the only member, the title really ain't all that much but...you still deserve some recognition for all you've done!" He argued, once more earnest and humble and it was all Dr. S could do but meet his pleading gaze until finally, he let out a defeated sigh before gently, reluctantly conceding.
"Okay. Okay."
To which Ted's face lit up and he said ecstatically, "Fantastic! Now, we just need something to knight you with!", and started eagerly looking this way and that. "Ah ha!" He said in triumph upon seeing Zora's pointing stick, which she had left on the chalkboard, walking over to pick up and inspect it. "Yes, this will do nicely!"
Then, Ted cleared his throat, turned around, straightened his back and asked of Dr. S in a more composed manner, "Dr. S, if you may come here and bow your head, please."
To which Dr. S obediently came over and bowed before Ted, who then lightly tapped each side of the sheepish snake's neck as he solemnly said, "In recognition of your heroics, I, Theodore Pantskin, do hereby relinquish my position as Captain of the Ringtail Guard and bestow it onto you, Dr. S!"
Once he was done and Dr. S lifted his head, Ted added, with soft sincerity laced with sadness, "Keep up the good work, champ."
Uncomfortable and unsure how to respond to this gentle gratitude, Dr. S turned his face away from Ted's tender gaze and said awkwardly, "Y-yeah, I will."
This wiped the warm smile clean off of Ted's face and with his brief elated mood now gone, awkwardly told, first Dr. S, then everyone, "Okay...well, that's all I wanted to see you for so...any who, I'll let you folks get back to your business now." And then, he walked off the scene.
Everyone else watched him go and once he was gone, Abner stated, simple and stunned, "...Well, that happened."
"Yeah…" Becca said in kind. Then, she scowled and snapped at Dr. S, "I can't believe ya don't wanna be captain!"
"Hey! I accepted the title, didn't I!?" Dr. S snapped back.
"Yeah, after being begged to! What gives!?"
"You know 'what gives'! You want me to tell you again!? Agh, Zora, back me up on this!" Dr. S demanded and whipped his head around towards Zora and that's when he saw that she looked somewhat spaced out, seemingly not even listening to the present conversation. To which he asked with confused concern, "Zora?"
"Hmm?" Zora hummed as if coming out of a daze and finally met Dr. S's gaze.
"You wouldn't want me to be your captain, would you?" Dr. S asked expectantly, certain of her answer.
"What!? No, of course not!" Zora scoffed, though Dr. S could have sworn that her scorn didn't have as much bite as he would have thought and indeed, it didn't, for Zora's mind was preoccupied with other related matters. Like how she was bewildered that Dr. S had been so reluctant to accept his new title instead of eagerly taking it like a child would candy. How Ted's inner warrior had come out to face dozens of enemies during the war with Koto. How all of King Julien's people along with the king himself had all shown incredible courage back then but now….
Becca opened her mouth to defend Dr. S but was interrupted by Dr. S asking Zora, "Uh, Zora, are you feeling alright? You seem kinda...off.", confused that she wasn't taking the opportunity to argue that he was an irresponsible monster that shouldn't be in charge of anything or anyone.
"Just...thinking." Zora said, still seemingly in a daze as the seed of an idea was rapidly growing within her mind, begging to sprout forth. Then, she turned to Abner and Becca, nervous as she cautiously asked them, "Um, Abner, Becca, there's something I would like to ask you both."
"O-kay, shoot." Becca said and narrowed her eyes warily.
Zora took a deep breath and asked with as much confidence as she could muster, "Would either of you like to learn how to defend yourselves?"
Well, this certainly got everyone else's attention and they all gawked at Zora as if she had just asked the couple if they wanted to learn how to fly.
"W-what?" Abner stuttered in stupefied disbelief.
"I'm teaching Dr. S defense and I can do the same with you two!" Zora reiterated with growing confidence.
To which Becca responded incredulously, "What!? Why!?"
"How!? Haven't ya noticed I'm in a wheelchair now!?" Abner anxiously argued, spreading out his arms to point out said chair beneath his person. "My legs are all messed up! I can't fight!"
"What about your arms? Are they messed up too?"
"What? No, they're just fine but what does that…?"
"And your eyes? You haven't gone blind too, have you?"
"No, I can see just fine! What I can't see is why…?"
"Then you can fight! You can aim, shoot and throw, no problem!" Zora argued firmly.
"But he doesn't need to learn that stuff and I don't either! Dr. S is doing just fine on his own!" Becca angerly argued back.
"And what happens when he can't!?" Zora snapped and of course, Becca snapped back,
"Now, you see here! Dr. S has been doing a bang up job of keeping us all safe and unlike some people, he ain't gonna leave us high and dry!"
"But someone else can make that decision for him!"
This stunned Becca silent and she was all ears along with Dr. S and Abner as Zora continued to critically, passionately argue, "Dr. S may be big and strong but he is not invincible! He can be beaten and injured and killed and then what are you going to do!? If Clover can't or won't hold up her end of the contract, then this kingdom will be left with nothing and no one to protect it, again!" Zora then took a shaky breath and lowered her voice, though it's conviction still rang loud and clear as she went on to say, "And more lives will be lost! A kingdom needs more then just one line of defense cause if you lose that, then may be no hero swooping in to save the day! We need to be able to save ourselves!"
"Hold up! We?" Becca asked, confused.
This took Zora by surprise, then she briefly looked down and lay a paw on her stomach, keeping it there as she looked back up to meet Becca and Abner's gazes, beseeching them, "My family's lives are just as much on the line as your's! I would do anything to protect them and I know you would do the same for your family! You did once! Against me and Koto and all the other mountain lemurs! You could do it again! I know you hate me and that's fine! I'm not asking you to do this for me! I'm asking you to do this for yourselves! For everyone you love! I'm asking you to work with me so that we cankeep our loved ones safe! Please, let me teach you!"
Neither Abner nor Becca responded right away. Neither knew what to say, both feeling emotions that neither wanted to admit. So for some moments, it was all either could do but helplessly hold Zora's still pleading gaze, so full of fear and hope. Then, the couple looked away from her to each other, both silently begging the other for an answer until finally, Becca asked Abner,
"Side bar, Abner?"
"Side bar, Becca."
"Excuse us a moment." Becca told Zora and Dr. S, a bit awkward and nervous, before she wheeled Abner a short distance away, where the couple then leaned their heads close together.
"So, what do ya wanna do?" Abner asked his wife in a low whisper, anxious but also hopeful that she had a plan.
"Well..." Becca whispered with nervous caution. "I think...we should accept."
"What!?" Abner incredulously exclaimed in a not so quiet whisper.
"Shh!" Becca ordered firmly, placing a paw over her husband's mouth and anxiously looking over to where Zora was apprehensively awaiting her answer. Then, Becca pulled her paw away and earnestly whispered, "Yes, really! Please, trust me!"
"O-okay dear, I trust ya." Abner reluctantly conceded.
The couple then came back to Zora and Dr. S.
"As much as it pains me to say it, you do have a point. So, me and Abner have decided that you can teach us." Becca told Zora with a begrudging snarl while Abner gave a hesitant nod in agreement.
"Really!?" Dr. S and Zora were both incredulous, though Zora's response was also filled with joy.
"Yeah, yeah." Becca grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest.
At this, Zora's eyes became misty and she let out a shaky sigh of relief. "Becca, Abner...thank you!" She said, soft, sincere and overcome with gratitude. She then leaned down, wrapped Becca and Abner in her arms and squeezed the couple in a warm, tight hug. "Thank you both so much!"
To which the two smaller lemurs let out hoarse gasps as they felt the breathe being squeezed out of their lungs. Luckily, Zora soon let go and they slumped on Abner's chair as they proceeded to drink in welcomed gulps of sweet, beautiful air.
After that, Zora promised her two newest students that class would start for them bright and early the next day. Neither Abner nor Becca objected and they left Zora and Dr. S to their lessons.
They had gone a good distance when Abner gave Becca a scrutinizing look and asked her, confused and yet with an air of confidence as well, "So, can you tell me now just what in Frank's name are you up to now? I know you must have one hell of a reason for agreeing to a tyrant lover ordering us around and I wanna know what that is." He knew his wife. He knew that despite feeling bad for Zora, that didn't mean Becca was going to let her guard down just like that. That she had some plan up her sleeve and he was ready to be let in on it.
After her initial shock, Becca softened and said with tender amusement, "Heh, you know me so well. Alright, I think we're far enough away now that I can tell ya."
But just to be safe, Becca quickly scanned their surroundings for any prying eyes. Spotting none, she then looked back to Abner.
"Ya know how I was saying that Zora's copying Clover, training Dr. S to trick him into trusting her? Well, I figured out that she wants to do the same with us! Get on our good sides! Make us feel sorry for her so she can pull the wool right over our eyes! And that she's planning on doing the same thing with other lemurs! Cause the more of us trust her, the less likely anybody will see her and Uncle King Julien stabbing us all in the back!" Becca proclaimed with furious conviction and swiftly thrust her fist in a stabbing motion. She then caught her breath to calm down and asked Abner, "Ya following me so far?"
"Uh huh." Abner said, nodding in stunned understanding.
Then, Becca's mouth shaped into a sinister smile and her tone shifted to a deviously pleased one. "Well, I say we play along! Let those lying snakes in the grass think they've got us fooled! Then, when they're exposed as the conniving bastard and bitch they really are, that they ain't got no hell spawn, then we strike em down with the very same moves they tried to bamboozle us with!"
At this, Becca gave the air a few good punches, then a swift hard kick, all while making sound effects like, "Pow pow!" and "Hee yaw!" Then, she looked back to Abner, still smiling widely. "They won't know what hit em!" She said and began to laugh with wicked glee.
And all the while, Abner listened attentively and the more he did, the more excited he became and he happily joined Becca with his own devious guffaw.