"Skipper... Before we are going to the Hoboken... Can we be giving them a proper burial?" Skipper looked sadly at the lemur, who was hugging his tail in comfort.

"Sure, Ringtail," The pinguim slid back through the dark tunnel without another word.

"Wait! Aren't I suppose to be helping?"

"You can help por digging the graves!" The distant voice of the leader echoed through the tunnel.

"Oh... Okay then!" Julien looked at the ground and started digging. He knew he'd get tired soon. He was never one for physical work.

Julien coughed and dusted himself off as he has 5 formidable holes dug. His whole body ached after using just his paws to dig. He wondered how squirrels did it all the time. He collapsed on the ground to take a breather.

"Julien!" His ears perked at his name and he sat up tiredly.

"What is it?" Julien yelled back.

"Ringtail, when I call you, you come!" The king stood up and walked through the tunnel. If Skipper had called him to help him with their friends, he didn't think he'd have the stomach for it anymore.

"Skipper, what is being the problem?" Julien walked up to the penguin, his head leaning on the wall.

"Why don't you take a look around?" The lémure, lemur took a wary glance around the room.

"But there is nothing here..." He looked around again before the realization hit him. "W-where are they? Why are they not here?"

"I don't know, okay? It's obvious that the creep is trying to screw with us... What he wants with those bodies... I have no clue," Skipper shook his head.
"Let's go," His voice cracked as he left the king behind.


The sun was just barely over the city's skyline when they reached the Central Park Zoo.

"I thought we were going to that Bohoken zoo..."

"We had to take a little detour..." Skipper and Julien climbed over the zoo's gate. "I have to get some things. You... Can go do whatever. But we're meeting here at exactly 0800 hours. Understood?"

"Um... What time is that?" Skipper sighed.

"8 o'clock, Ringtail," The pinguim slide off in the direction of the HQ, leaving the lémure, lemur to his own devices.

Julien walked through the sleeping zoo and ending up near his. The king took in a deep breath and walked inside of it. It was just as they had left it. The leaf fãs thrown lazily near his throne, manga pits laying where they fell, and a half blended smoothie, batido inside the blender. The king walked up to the machine and tasted the flavor inside.

"Strawberry mango... My favorite," He pressed the on button on the blender and finished the job. His arms got a bit tired from holding down the vibrating cover of the blender and he shook them a few times before fetching himself a coconut cup.

"That was not being too hard," The king said to no one in particular. He sipped the drink and left the habitat, looking for something else to do.

He walked without direction for a bit before finally deciding to go to Marlene's place and say hi.

"Marlene! Are you being awake yet?" King Julien cautiously walked into the cave. He walked on until he was completely inside and saw the lontra tuning her spanish guitar.

"Why did you not answer me when I was calling for you?" Julien asked. Marlene looked up at him and smiled shyly.

"Oh sorry, Julien. But you know how much I amor this guitar. It's pretty enchanting, am I right?" As Marlene waited for the lémure, lemur to answer, she began to notice the bruises and scratches on his torso, arms and legs.

"Oh my goodness! What happened?" She laid her violão, guitarra on the floor and stood up. Julien went stiff and turned away.

"C'mon, you have to tell me what happened!" She moved to get eye contact with him and crossed her arms. Julien looked at the floor.

"It was something horrible..." Julien just barely muttered out.

"Well, I can see that..." She put a paw tenderly on one of the bruises but the king pulled away.

"Do not be doing that again. It is hurting me," Marlene put her paws to her sides and growled.

"Did Skipper do this?" She crossed her arms.

"No..."

"I know he doesn't really like you, but I didn't think he'd go so far and hurt you like this!" Marlene stormed out of her home, steaming.

"Where are you going?" Julien followed behind her with hurried footsteps.

"To go ask Skipper and his team why exactly they got so violent. They can't have a reasonable explanation!"

"Well... At least be letting me lead!" He really didn't want to tell her what happened. He was starting to regret going to say hi in the first place.