Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria and Gia were all sharing the same train carriage after a strenuous tour through Russia, travelling through the moonlit Asian countryside to their next circus show. Alex was looking out the window of the carriage at the darkness passing by, awaiting light to appear. He had booked an extra location as a surprise to finish off the extensive tour they had been on, thanks to Skipper's suggestion. They had been almost all over the globe since the four joined the circus a year ago. Everyone was starting to feel like a little hiatus was necessary.
A restless Alex got up from sitting against the wooden train wall with Gia resting against his side. She stumbled down as he rose, looking at him confused. The lion was too exuberant to notice he had unbalanced her. "You're gonna love this, guys," he said, breaking the silence of the relaxing animals. His eyes gleamed with excitement as he leaned out of the train carriage. Marty stood up, absorbed by his optimism.
"Oh yeah?" Marty questioned, approaching the lion from behind. Skittishly, he poked his head out of the opening too, curious as to what Alex had in-store for them. No clues yet from what he was looking at.
Gloria looked up from her nap, her scepticism clear. "Alex, I've had enough surprises to last a lifetime. What could possibly be better than our Russia tour?" she asked in a yawn.
Alex's tail swished with enthusiasm. "You'll see. It's a whole new adventure waiting just for us!"
Gia sauntered over beside him, curiosity piqued. "What is it, Alex?" she purred, her hazelnut eyes narrowing slightly.
Alex looked at Gia, slightly intimidated but in a playful, loving manner. He quickly gave into the stalling and grinned, his teeth gleaming in the dim light. "We're heading to Beijing, China!" he exclaimed, raising his arms upward with a wide smile in an attempt to bring energy to the announcement.
Gia, Gloria and Marty all looked at each other with intrigued faces, optimistic yet not fully convinced.
Melman, who had been quietly reading in the corner, looked up with a frown. He didn't share Alex's excitement. "Beijing?" he echoed, his voice laced with scepticism. They all looked at him, Gloria smirked as to what possibly Melman could be worrying about this time. "Why there? They don't call it the Forbidden City for no reason!"
Alex chuckled as he wandered over to him, slapping Melman on the back. "Don't worry, buddy. It's not forbidden to us anymore. Besides, think of the adventure! The Great Wall, the sky-scraping skyscrapers... and the food! It's just New York, honestly." He glanced toward the others. Marty was doing a faint nod. They looked fully convinced to a somewhat delusional Alex.
But Melman's ears perked up at the mention of Beijing, stubbornly resisting backing down. He stepped in, a look of concern clouding his features. "Guys, I heard somewhere that they eat dogs in China!" he said, his voice tinged with worry. The other animals exchanged glances of disgust, their enthusiasm dampening slightly. "And cats! Don't forget Alex, you and Gia are one of those... sort of."
Alex rolled his eyes. "Melman, you've been watching too much TV," he said dismissively. He sniggered, placing his large paw on Melman's bony shoulder. "That's just a stereotype. Besides, we're going to be the stars of the show. No one's going to eat us."
"Oh you and Gia are the stars?" Gloria, on a tangent, sassily questioned Alex with crossed arms and a raised brow. Alex was still facing Melman.
"Yep." he quickly answered, as he side-eyed Gloria for a split second in acknowledgement. Gloria shared a disapproving look at Gia who silently chuckled. Gloria smiled too. She was only playing.
But Marty, still concentrating on the real matter at hand, looked unsure and was thoughtful. "Where did you hear that, Mel?" he asked, stroking his chin. Marty said it in an almost sarcastic way, however inside he truly was inquisitive and wanted to know if Melman really was overreacting.
Melman's eyes widened slightly. "Well, it was on one of those travel shows," he admitted. Alex looked at Marty with a raised eyebrow and smirk. Marty could not help but share the same look back. "But it's not just that! I've read about it too. They have some... exotic tastes."
Alex let out a bellowing laugh. "Exotic tastes? What - like sushi? Sounds like they'll love me!" He leaned back against the carriage wall, his mane ruffling. "You know what they say, variety is the spice of life! And we're about to add a whole new flavour to their menu!"
"Maybe he has a point Alex," Gloria argued, "we should be more careful. None of us are getting any younger."
"Yeah..." Marty agreed, deep in thought.
"Oh, Alex." Gia quietly said, almost to herself. She shot him a stern look of disapproval at his lack of sensitivity toward his friend, her sleek fur bristling slightly as she crossed her arms. Alex shot her a quick regretful look back and knew he had crossed a line and instantly began to feel guilty, but also slightly saddened that no one was even as half as enthusiastic as he was about this idea now. He sighed.
"Look, guys," Alex said, trying to recover the mood. "I know it's a bit of a gamble, but think of it as an opportunity to learn about a new culture. I think we should cut the Chinese some slack. You should ask the penguins if you really are worried - they have been to Shanghai before. Not exactly Beijing but it is close enough... hey, and who knows, maybe we'll even have fun!" He put on a smile and raised his arms again lazily, failing to hide his hurt. The others could tell he had lost some hope.
Melman visibly swallowed his fear and tried to return the smile. "Okay, okay," he said, "but if they start serving anything that looks like it could bark or meow, I'm out. Only for the sake of Freddy, Jonesy and the others."
"Haha, yes Melman!" Alex yelled happily. If Melman was onboard, everyone else would surely be too. "That's the fearlessly ferocious giraffe spirit!"
The other animals smiled and nodded in agreement, and the tension in the carriage lifted slightly. Gloria padded over to Melman and nudged him gently. "Don't worry, Mel," she said, "we've got each other's backs." They smiled at each other and hugged.
"Circus stick together, right guys?" Marty added the hackneyed phrase in smugly.
"Right Marty!" Gia agreed approvingly. It was not trite to her. The phrase reminded her of the bond they all shared, especially in the face of uncertainty.
Alex's mood swung back up at the collective agreement. "Alright, let's get some rest. We've got a big day tomorrow!" He said, trying to sound more in charge than he felt. He knew they were all tired and they would have less time to change their mind if they were asleep.
"Alright! Later, guys." Marty agreed quickly and firmly, excited for the day to come. He left through the connecting door to the neighbouring carriage as the others said goodnight.
"Hurry along you two," Gloria urged Alex and Gia, "Me and Melman want some alone time..." She grinned at Melman deviously, holding onto him still. He acted surprised but really he was into it, just a little embarrassed they were not fully alone quite yet. Alex raised an eyebrow at Gloria, his smile hinting at the tease.
"Alone time, huh?" Alex chuckled and nodded, leading Gia out of the carriage. "You heard her..." he whispered into her ear with a playful nudge, entering the other connecting carriage.
Marty entered his shared carriage with a skip in his step, reassured of the day to come. He was glad his friends had worked things out. Sharing the carriage with the zebra was Stefano and Vitaly. The Siberian tiger was sleeping menacingly at the opposite end, eyes closed and sat up against the wall, holding a sizeable, sharpened blade in his large paw. Marty closed the door slowly and quietly. The sea lion was near to Marty, looking at pictures of the circus from the year they had experienced together. Initially the zebra smiled at Stefano, happy to see him. However, on closer inspection, through the dim light of the train, Marty noticed worry across Stefano's face. He sat down next to him to comfort the frowning sea lion, taking a look at the memories too.
"Hey. What's up, man?" Marty whispered, trying not to wake Vitaly.
"Hey my friend..." Stefano's smile faded as he glanced over at Marty. He leaned in closer, his voice low and tight. "I... I saw... it was something I thought would never happen."
The words hung heavy in the air. Marty felt his stomach clench. He had never seen Stefano so unsettled before. "What was it?"
Stefano knew Vitaly slept lightly and was most likely concentrating in on their hushed conversation. He took a deep breath, his eyes darting to the tiger before returning to Marty. "Alex," he whispered.
"Alex? What about him?" Marty's voice was a mere thread of curiosity.
Stefano paused, his gaze flickering over to the sleeping tiger once more before continuing. "It was in Russia, the day before we boarded on this journey. I had forget my cannon hat, remember? I was looking around everywhere and I heard something from outside the tent. And... I saw Alex with... another tigress. They were... intimate, Marty." He spoke the last words with a painful whisper, as if saying them aloud would make the image burn into reality.
The revelation hit Marty like a ton of bricks. He knew Stefano was a pure soul and would never lie. He sat back in denial, stunned. "Really? Cheating? On Gia? That doesn't sound like him."
Stefano nodded solemnly. "I know, I know. But I saw it with my own eyes. They were... they were kissing, right there in the shadows."
The weight of the confession pressed down on Marty. He had always considered Alex to be a stand-up lion, loyal to a fault. The idea of him betraying Gia, the majestic jaguar who had stolen the show with her acrobatics, was unthinkable. Yet here was Stefano, his friend and confidant, recounting the scene with a painful vividness. Marty swallowed hard, his thoughts racing.
"What do we do?" Marty murmured, his eyes drawn to Vitaly's blade. The tension in the cabin thickened, the air charged with the electricity of secrets and impending confrontation.
"We... I don't know." Stefano's fur was ruffled with distress. "I don't want to cause trouble, but we can't just let this slide."
The train jolted, echoing the tumult of their thoughts. Marty nodded slowly, his eyes glued to the pictures in the album, as if searching for an answer in the past. The sea lion's hand paused on an image of Alex and Gia performing their daring trapeze act, their fur melding together in mid-air as they executed a perfect catch.
"We have to tell her," Marty finally said, his voice resolute. "Gia deserves to know."
Stefano nodded, his expression a mix of dread and relief. "But how? We can't just blurt it out. It'll ruin everything."
"We'll find the right time and place," Marty said, patting his friend's shoulder. "But we can't keep it from her forever. She's going to be devastated."
Stefano nodded, his gaze lingering on the sleeping tiger. "I know. But we have to be careful. Once Vitaly knows... he might kill Alex."
The gravity of the situation settled in the cabin like a fog. They couldn't risk his finding out until they had a chance to break the news to her secretly and let her work it out without Vitaly's knowledge. Marty sighed, rubbing his eyes. "We'll tell her alone, when we get to the next stop. We'll find a quiet spot."
Stefano nodded, his whiskers drooping. "I'll help you. But we must be gentle with her. She's so... so full of light, you know?"
The rest of the journey was tense, with both Marty and Stefano lost in their own thoughts. Every time the train rumbled over the tracks, it seemed to shake the very foundation of their friendship with Alex. The images of Alex and the other tigress played in a loop in Stefano's mind, a stark contrast to the happy memories of the circus. He couldn't believe what he had seen, and the burden of keeping such a secret grew heavier with each passing mile.
Gia leaned against the cabin door to close it, looking up at Alex with a weary smile. "I am... too tired tonight," she admitted uncertainly, her voice a soft purr.
Alex was initially disappointed however he promptly changed his outlook. His grin widened, and he playfully put his arms either side of her, trapping her against the wall. Gia was taken aback by this act and rested her arms atop and along his. "Oh, come on," he coaxed, "you're not scared, are you?" His eyes sparkled with mischief.
Gia rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. "Scared of what? A little Chinese food?" she quipped, yet she really did seem nervous.
Alex noticed her discomfort and leaned closer, his nose brushing against hers. "You're scared of Jonesy? He's a little Chinese food," he said with a knowing smile, laughing to himself. Gia was not laughing and pushed his head away with hers. Alex realised that was a terrible joke, awkwardly apologising. "That was out of taste... like Jo-"
Gia's stopped him with a paw over the mouth and a stern look, followed by a slight giggle that she could not resist. Her eyes shimmered with amusement. "I'm not worried about Beijing. And I am sorry Alex. I should have shown you support in there." she admitted, lifting her paw from his mouth in hopes of forgiveness.
Alex took her paw and kissed it gently, his smile returning. "It's okay. I know you guys are just looking out for each other."
Gia nodded, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I'm just... I don't know. I guess I'm a little nervous about the unknown at the moment. I know you were trying to surprise us... but perhaps it was ideal to tell me," she confessed, her voice a soft murmur. Alex understood, but not totally yet. Gia's eyes searched Alex's, filled with a mix of excitement and anxiety. She had been carrying a secret since the last show in Russia for a week. Her paws began to shake only slightly, but Alex could feel the tension within her. "Alex... there's something I need to tell you," she whispered, her voice quivering.
Alex studied her face, the gentle furrow of her brow and the way she struggle to hold eye contact. It was then that it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Gia," he whispered, "are you...?"
Her eyes snapped to his, wide with surprise and fear. "How did you...?" she trailed off, the secret she had been carrying for weeks slipping from her grasp.
Alex looked at her, his expression a mix of shock and wonder. "The way you've been acting, the extra care you've been taking... it all makes sense now," he murmured, his grip on her paw tightening. He still had not fully processed the great news.
Gia nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. "I didn't want to tell you yet, not until I was sure. Uh, I'm stupido..." she said, her voice trembling as she shook her head in shame. "But with all this talk of danger, I couldn't keep it in anymore."
Alex felt his heart swell with a mix of emotions. He pulled her into a tight embrace as she cried into his chest, his mind racing with thoughts of a cub. "It's going to be okay," he assured her in a strong and steady voice, gently stroking the back of her head. "We're going to be great parents, you know that."
Gia looked up at him, her eyes wet but gleaming with hope. "Are we really?" she sniffled. "I've never done this before. What if I mess up?"
Alex chuckled softly, kissing the top of her head. "You won't. I won't. We won't," he said with absolute certainty. "You're the bravest, most amazing animal I know. And together, we're going to show this little one the world."
Gia leaned into him again, her body shaking slightly with sobs. "But what if something happens to me during a show? What if I mess up on the trapeze?" she whispered, her voice thick with fear. Alex felt a cold shiver run down his spine at the thought. He knew the risks of their circus life, but he had never considered them in this light before.
He held her tighter, trying to warm her and ease her fears. He went deep into thought momentarily, knowing the only solution she would not be fond of. "Gia, we're going to have to make some changes. This is our chance to start thinking about our future, and what's best for our family," he said firmly. He knew deep down that a life in the circus was not sustainable for a parent, especially not for a mother with a high-flying act. The late nights, the constant travel, the danger - it was all too much.
Gia looked up at him. She knew what he was hinting at, but she was not ready to let go of the circus so soon. The circus was not only her career but her life, her identity. It was all she knew.
Alex noticed her hesitation and cupped her cheek with his paw. "I know it's tough, but we can't keep living like this. We need to think about the baby's safety. It's a hard time growing up without parents. We both know that too well."
Gia took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right," she confessed, her eyes swimming with unshed tears. "But where will we go?"
Before Alex could respond, the door to the carriage burst open with a flourish, and in barged King Julien, his fluffy tail standing tall and his eyes wide with excitement. "Bonjour, mes amis!" he exclaimed, his thick Madagascan accent unmistakable. The sudden intrusion startled Alex and Gia, but the tension in the air dissipated immediately.
"Ever heard of knocking?" an angry Gloria asked Julien from the carriage he had just came from, staring in him dead in the eye. She shook her head and then looked at a startled Gia and Alex sympathetically. She closed the door promptly with a slam, cheekily abandoning the two with Julien before another word could be spoken.
"Julien!" Alex greeted as he broke the silence, a smile spreading across his face despite the gravity of their conversation. He was not annoyed though, as he had no answer to Gia's question. She was staring aimlessly elsewhere, her mind still on the matter. "What are you doing here?"
King Julien strutted in, his eyes glinting with excitement. "Why, I heard the most fabulous rumour!" He announced dramatically, holding his paws up as if he was about to drop a royal decree. Alex winced, he desperately Julien had not heard the news. "We're going to the mystical land of China!"
Alex chuckled, relieved. "It's true," he confirmed, "Beijing, to be exact."
"The penguins were just on about it during our very intellectual game of cards!" Julien stated ignorantly. "You two would not understand the amount of brains an animal must contain to comprehend a game like that... I'm simply too supreme." He stood upon a crate, pushing his chest out in a uppity way with his eyes smugly shut.
Alex looked at him, sighing inside, already tired by his demeanour. "So... are you just passing through? Or?" he asked in hopes that this was just a swift visit the gracious king.
Julien did not respond however. He was standing motionless atop the crate in an odd pose. Suddenly, his eyes opened. His pupils began to dilate drastically and his mouth frothed marginally. His whole body began to wobble and it soon became an aggressive spasm. He then stiffly tilted forward. Head first, he fell to the floor from the crate, in a booming thud. Gia and Alex looked concerned, but he began to snore obnoxiously loud - now they were just dumbfounded.
"Maybe I wouldn't mind getting away from all this after all." A blasé Gia joked, raising her arms up as to surrender to the stupidity of the situation. She turned away and went to lie down. The stress of the moment had drained her. Alex watched her for a second as he snickered, still standing by the door, then shut it gently. He turned to look down at the snoring lemur.
"King huh?" Alex scoffed quietly as he gently poked an unconscious Julien a multitude of times to mock him. "What a disgrace..." Alex gave him one last nudge, rolling the lemur a reasonable distance, revealing a plastic bag full of powder which somewhat resembled sand.
Gia, now lying down in deep contemplation, had noticed it immediately. Her already worried eyes grew wide and her heart raced. "Alex," she whispered urgently, pointing at the bag, "What's that?"
Alex froze, his paw hovering over the plastic bag. "What the...?" He picked it up, examining it closely. He tried smelling through it. The smell was faint but distinct. His eyes widened in realisation. "This... this is... heroin!" he whispered, his voice a mix of shock and disbelief.
Gia shot up, her eyes wide with horror. "Heroin? In the circus?" she gasped.
Alex nodded gravely, his mind racing. "It's from Russia," he murmured confidently.
Gia's expression turned to one of anger and betrayal. "You think Vitaly gave this to him?" she asked aggressively. Borscht was not the only thing Vitaly had used excessively to drown his sorrows in the past, but Gia knew those days were over.
"No- no," Alex stuttered, correcting his wording nervously, "The bag is from Russia." He held the tiny bag up to show her. She shook her head at the lion.
Gia stared at it, her mind racing through the possibilities. "But why would he have something like this? Another sick crime against Mort?" she pondered, looking over at the pathetic, sleeping mess that was King Julien. "And why now?"
Alex thought for a moment, his gaze shifting toward the front of the train. "The penguins," he murmured, almost to himself. "They've been awful quiet since we left Russia. And Julien mentioned their card game. This has to be their doing."
Gia looked at him sceptically. "The penguins? Wasn't Skipper the one that put the Beijing idea in your head?" Gia worried.
Alex nodded solemnly. "Yes, but we've all known each other for ages now. They would never do anything that would get us into trouble, I promise," he desperately argued to his suspicious partner, "We just need to clear some things up I suppose. I think we have done enough stressing tonight, don't you?" Alex embraced Gia to calm her once again as she succumb to his loving grasp.
"For tonight, definitely," Gia agreed, she was too tired not to nonetheless. She slowly pushed him down against a corner of the carriage covered in hay, lying atop him as their embrace continued.
Meanwhile, at the forwardmost carriage, the penguins were indeed playing cards, but not with King Julien. They were with Maurice, the trusty lemur who had been their confidant since they began the circus life. Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Maurice were seated on fancy table stolen from a previous visit to the many countries they had toured, the top covered in lines of powder, playing cards and bottles of strong alcohol. Mort and Private were seated separately on another, significantly worse table quietly. The others viewed them as butlers from their pungent inferiority. The game was in full swing, the penguins' beaks clacking together as they laid down their cards with practiced ease.
"Boy that Julien sure is smooth-brained baboon," Maurice bantered along, a bellowing laughter following from around the room.
"Hey, that's offensive to baboons! They're smarter than him!" Kowalski added on, the laughter continuing.
"Woah, woah!" Skipper injected, "Rico's mother is a baboon. Ain't that right Rico?" The laughter got even louder.
"AAA!" Rico answered incomprehensibly amongst the noise. He had no idea what was going on.
Maurice chuckled as he gathered the cards from Mort for a new round. "Ah, yes. I forgot," he said with a wink to Rico, whom stared at him blankly. The laughter eventually died down to a solemn silence and everyone inspected their hand of cards.
"Ugh, Private! These cards are not shuffled at all!" an annoyed Skipper groaned at the clueless penguin, showing the rest his hand of cards, "I've got five kings? We've only got one deck! How's that even possible?" He threw the bizarre hand carelessly at Private in anger, the others mirroring simultaneously.
"You stupid loser!" Maurice added harshly, laughing menacingly his pathetic existence.
"S-s-sorry Skipper!" a hopeless Private squawked, as he and Mort scrabbled erratically around the room to regather the cards, "I'll fix it!"
"And hurry up." Kowalski added smugly with his arms crossed. He was worn down from his consistent incompetence.
Skipper shook his head at the two losers, disappointed. He then realised this was a fitting time to discuss with Maurice the plans they had in mind for Beijing. "Actually, you two... take a break." he commanded. Their frantic card collecting halted as they looked up to the highly seated Skipper who was pointing his flipper toward the door to the neighbouring carriage. Mort and Private graciously accepted his mercy and swiftly followed his orders, no questioned asked.
As soon as the door closed behind them, Skipper leaned closer to Maurice, his eyes serious. "Look, Maurice," he began in a hushed tone, the clacking of the train wheels providing a constant backdrop, "We need to talk about the circus."
Maurice's eyes lit up with intrigue. He had always been a fan of the penguins' schemes, and he felt overly honoured to be apart of one now. "Yes, yes. I've been waiting to hear this." he stated, his furry hands clutching the edge of the card table.
Skipper leaned in closer, his expression a mix of excitement and secrecy. "I've had a stroke of genius, Maurice," he whispered, his eyes gleaming with the reflection of the flickering candlelight. "We're going to sell the circus in Beijing. Sell anything of value too. Highest bidder takes all. Take all the cash they've ever earned from these awful shows over the year, and ditch these bozos with nothing but pity and sadness. When we're done, we're out of here with no goodbyes," he said leaning back in his chair as he sipped from a straw which was in a bottle of vodka, proud of his marvellous ploy. Rico nodded aggressively, in love with the delightful idea. Kowalski shot Maurice a look and smiled, he knew the lemur would be into it - anything to burden the unbearable King Julien.
Maurice smiled in deep approval of the scheme, yet his ears perked up at the sound of 'highest bidder'. "But what about Alex and the others?" he asked, genuinely concerned for his old friends who had brought so much change and fun to his boring, repetitive life in the jungle of a dictated Madagascar.
"They'll be fine," Skipper said with a wave of his flipper. "They're resourceful. And annoyingly optimistic. It will be like nothing ever changed for them after a week or two with the new owners. Besides, they've only a got a year or two left before their acts leaves them. Soon they'll probably be wanting to leave as well anyway." His voice grew more animated with each word, clearly enthralled by the prospect of leaving their circus lives behind.
Maurice nodded slowly, his smile fading a bit in uncertainty. "But why are you telling me this?" he asked cautiously, his eyes narrowing. "What's in it for me? I'm surprised you're not leaving me here with the rest of them."
Skipper leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin with a knowing smirk. "Ah, the question of the night," he said, his eyes glinting. "You see, Maurice, we know how much you've suffered under that buffoon of a king. We're offering you a way out. You help us pull this off, and we'll make sure you get a cut of the profits. A nice, big one."
"5%," Kowalski injected intuitively, with a raised eyebrow. He acted as if that was a large percentage to take.
Maurice's expression grew thoughtful. "So how can I help?" he asked, his curiosity piqued. The penguins had always been clever, but this plan was on another level. He was intrigued but cautious to be involved in such a plot.
Skipper leaned forward again, his voice barely above a whisper. "We need someone on the inside to keep an eye on things, just to make sure no one gets any suspicions," he said. "Someone who can be trusted. And let's face it, you're the only one we can count on around here."
Maurice felt a surge of pride. Despite his loyalty to Alex and the others, the allure of freedom from the tyrannical annoyance of King Julien was too tempting to resist. He nodded, his eyes gleaming with the excitement of the challenge. "I'm in," he murmured, extending a furry paw to shake on it.
Skipper took his paw with a firm grip, his smile turning into a full grin. "Great!" he exclaimed, "glad you're onboard, or we might have had to throw you off the train," he admitted in a very joking way. Rico and Skipper both chuckled as if Skipper was just making a harmless, playful joke. Maurice genuinely could not determine if there was some truth in what Skipper had just said, yet he was too proud and gullible to give it any real thought and sheepishly decided to laugh at the seemingly dark jest.
They broke grip and Skipper took another sip of vodka. "Well it's been long enough, let's bring those fools back in. Maybe they've sorted the cards by now." he quipped in a doubtful hope, well aware of Private's intelligence - not to mention Mort's.