Fathers

A/N: I'm still popping these things out. What's wrong with me?

Anyway, I just saw Madagascar 3 a second time, in Spanish now, and still found it outrageously hilarious. And it may or may not have bred this monstrosity.

And to Funkywatermelon, this isn't the Gloria/Melman story I told you about- that one's still not ready :T

Madagascar 3/characters/plot (c) DreamWorks SKG

01. Forgetting

He was beginning to forget what his father looked like.

His voice was nothing more than a faint memory, nearly gone, as was his home. His memories were a blur, like shoddy patches of film. He remembered heat… a burning sun, and a comforting voice above him. A crystal blue sky, and a large bed, two figures leaning over him. That was all that remained.

Alakay…Alex was still young. Somewhere in the back of his mind he hoped that these memories would return anew, and he would go home, find his father—the only person he remembered. Everyone else was faceless. Memories of embraces meant nothing without the face of the ones who were holding him, as did those of games and family. They mixed and merged together in the quagmire of his young mind, becoming nonsensical and confusing. There was no logic to the pattern of which the memories would resurface. But of course, the cub knew nothing of this. All he was aware of while in the throes of a dreadful nightmare was that his father was nowhere near to save him.

"Hey, new guy!"

Alex jolted up, shivering in a cold he was unfamiliar with. He looked around blindly for several moments, before his gaze locked onto the familiar patch of zigzagged black and white. The cub made a small sound of acknowledgement.

The foal sighed in relief, hanging over the low wall. "Jeez, you sure make a lotta noise when you sleep. Where you having a bad dream?"

Alex quickly shook his head in a negative, and the elder animal examined him suspiciously for a moment. "Well, all right. But try an' keep a lid on it, some of the old and crusty zoo animals will yell atcha' for making too much noise." The cub giggled nearly soundlessly, and his companion beamed. "Aha, there you go—not in the dumps anymore, are ya?" Alex shook his head again. "Good. Well, you should get back to sleep, buddy. The zoo's gonna be packed tomorrow."

The cub cocked his head to the side in question, and the colt shrugged. "I don't know, something the people are putting on. 'Fathers Get-in-Free Day' or something, for Father's Day." He noticed Alex's smile fall, and quickly beamed encouragingly. "Hey, c'mon, you don't need some crummy real family! You got me, Melman, and Gloria! I'll introduce you to 'em tomorrow. That sound good?" Alex smiled, nodding happily.

The foal seemed pleased with himself and nodded goodbye, when he suddenly zipped back to the wall. "Oh, by the way, the name's Marty!" At the cub's larger smile, he waved in farewell. "Well, g'night!"

Alex watched his new friend walk off and settle down in a bed of hay, swiftly falling back asleep. The cub smiled again, walking around in a small circle twice before finding a suitable position and curled up on the cool cement, welcoming the unfamiliar chill. All thoughts of his father and Africa were banished from that moment on.

02. Me, Myself, and I

The young jaguar skirted the multitude of circus performers with the utmost care, taking heed to keep the precious item clutched to her chest out of harm's way. Gia had barely dodged a group of humans, all carrying heavy equipment and crates, and a miniature troop of elephants before finally breaking through of the circus tent's final tarp and into the outside world beyond it.

She wasn't sure where they were exactly, but there were rolling hills and thick grass all around and the scent of spring in the air. Gia only paused for a second to absorb it all before continuing on her journey and finally found what, or rather who she was looking for.

Off to the side and out of the other performers' way were Vitaly and Stefano, the former lifting a heavily weighted Olympian bar, and the latter attempting and failing to juggle a pile of colorful rubber balls.

"'Taly!" she called as she drew nearer, shoved carelessly aside by one of the crewmen, nearly jostling her precious cargo, "Stefano!"

"Dobroe utro," Vitaly greeted her as he lifted the heavy looking bar high over his head again. Stefano waved happily to her, only one flipper holding his dozen rubber balls; as a result he lost his grip on all of them and they fell over the grass.

Stefano cried out in horror and dove to try and stop them from rolling into the workers' path, but failed in catching three that disappeared into the tumult. Gia carefully walked up to the whimpering sea lion, her previous task momentarily forgotten, and looked down at her guardian solicitously.

"Ah…I'm-a sorry, Stefano," she murmured, but in the next moment the sea lion was standing up with the same wonkily bright smile on his features.

"It is okay, tesoro, we have many more," Stefano grinned, twirling his already curly mustache with an air of falsified dignity and fixing his askew fez, "those amazing rubber balls gave themselves up for a noble cause!"

Gia giggled at her guardian's behavior, when she remembered the important object in her paws with a start. "Oh, Stefano, guardare—look at what I found."

The cub opened her paws, and Stefano leaned forward curiously, only for his eyes to widen and the sea lion to fall to the grass in dead faint with a whimper. Gia gasped, closing her paws again, taking a step towards her friend. "S-Stefano?"

"Vat is happening to sea lion?" Vitaly inquired, setting down the Olympian bar and walking over to the cub's side.

"I showed him what I found," Gia mumbled, "I thought he could help."

The tiger lifted a curious brow. "Help with what, detenysh?"

Gia pursed her lips while she juxtaposed the idea of showing her guardian, but eventually succumbed to Vitaly's patient look and opened her palms a second time. The Siberian tiger leaned forward, and his deep green eyes widened at what he found.

Lying limply in the cub's small paws was the fractured body of a small bird.

"You can help it, sí?" Gia murmured, recognizing the stunned look in the tiger's eyes. "I…I saw it fall out of tree…you can fix it, right? It was all alone…there was no mamma o papa." Tears began gathering in the cub's wide brown eyes, and she looked back up at her guardian, searching his face for any aid.

Vitaly cautiously lifted his paws, but his fingers paused just over the bird's corpse. Even without his sensitive hearing, he knew that the bird was deceased.

The tiger sighed, all too aware of the cub's sniveling. "I cannot help, detenysh. Bird is gone. Kaput."

Gia blinked, brushing away tears with one paw. "B-but I'm not understanding, 'Taly. Bird isn't gone, is right here!"

Vitaly sighed again, bending down on one knee to be more at the cub's level. "Bird is no longer vith us, Gia." The tiger pondered for a moment, before setting to explain. "You remember stray cat owners find? And how she got very sick?" Gia nodded tearfully, and Vitaly motioned towards the bird. "Same difference."

The cub nodded slowly, finally understanding. "What do I do with the bird?" she murmured, cradling it in her small arms.

Vitaly laid an enormous paw on Gia's slim shoulder, smiling comfortingly. "We give bird good funeral! Bury it nicely!"

Gia smiled softly, and the tiger had just risen to his full height when the grating voice of his wife startled them.

"Vitaly! Come here at once, ringmaster wants us to practice!"

The Siberian tiger sighed, calling back to his wife, "be being there in minute, dear! I have other thing to do –won't take long!" Vitaly had barely turned back to Gia when the female tiger shouted shrilly back.

"NOW, Vitaly!"

Gia watched crestfallen as her guardian groaned in defeat, before sending her a smile of forced encouragement. "I have to be going, detenysh. Maybe you can be having Stefano help you! I... I must go."

The cub observed the tiger as he departed, shouting assurances for his wife, then glanced down at the still-unconscious sea lion. Her soft brown eyes flickered down to the limp bird and she set her gaze, making her way towards the back of the tent where she would bury the bird alone.

03. Rules for Dating

"You vill bring her back at reasonable time?"

"Of course."

"And vhere vill you be going?"

"On a walk, then to a drive-in movie theater on the outskirts of town."

"And you vill not let humans see you?"

"Duh. I'm not completely inept."

"Humph. I beg to differ."

Gia rolled her eyes at the sight of Alex and Vitaly practically staring each other down, her paws akimbo. "All right, 'Taly, I think you both went over all safety precautions. May we go now?"

Vitaly didn't answer for a moment, leaving his glower directed at Alex for a few more seconds before nodding stiffly. Alex exhaled heavily, practically bounding over to Gia's side. "Okay, we'll be back soon!" he called over his shoulder and Gia giggled at his innocent look.

"I vill be watching you, lion!" Vitaly snapped as they headed for town. "Mark my words, I see one scratch on her, and you vill be answering to me!"

Alex grinned back at the Siberian tiger, waving gaily until they were out of earshot and he groaned. "Wow. Do you think he was kidding?"

Gia laughed. "Vitaly doesn't kid."

The lion sighed theatrically. "That's what I was afraid of."