Madagascar and OC! REWRITE!

Unhappy Reunion

It was night now.

The great ocean carried the wooden box in its currents for hours with the large cats inside. With little daylight in the gloomy skies came the black and blue of with shine of the moon. It was cold. Possibly freezing. There the cats were, curled in one another's arms as they shivered.

Ayana and Levi used to have an established routine. When either was upset, they'd often seek the other out. Their powerful arms were private shields, the one place where they were safe from everything. Ayana always quietly held Levi until he calmed down enough to speak-and this is what she did now, gently rubbing her friend's back and silently waited. Levi had once referred to Ayana as a crybaby in their childhood, but Ayana knew better. Alex was sensitive, like herself, and she knew that sometimes, he just needed to cry things out. So she let him.

Alex was half-asleep as he trembled in Ayana's arms, a half-asleep with a crinkle forming in the middle of his eyebrows.

The leopard had no difficulties with the lion leaning on her, even if she was a few feet shorter than him, she was strong.

She sighed, ears lowering down to her skull. Ayana continued to hold the lion close while trying desperately to keep them both warm.

It was surprising that they could be with each other for long and not argue, or separate to each corner for the box.

Alex's extroverted nature quite contrasted with Ayana's introverted nature. Sometimes Ayana thought their friendship with Alex was just an inconvenience, that she suddenly was put in the way of his life. Alex enjoyed being with people and performing for large crowds. The moment Ayana was put into the spotlight, she would back out. Their thoughts about life were nothing alike. Ironically, they were thinking about the same thing.

Neither of them could wrap their heads around the thought: their friends were gone. Abandoned, alone, and terrified. Ayana couldn't just give up. Not yet. Surely, Alex wouldn't count on her for motivation, right? Still, she would just keep pushing forward, and stay with him till the end of it. She began repeating the same words over and over to cheer them up.

"Hold on just a little while longer, everything will be alright."

Ayana sang these words quietly, only wanting Alex to hear them despite them being alone. The patch of words managed to soothe him, so she continued doing so.

"Everything will be alright..."

Suddenly, there was a lump. Then a jolt. The two felines jerked upright at the abrupt movement, perplexed. Then the crate veered and started to tumble, the captives within sprawling and yelping in surprise within the tight confines. Water splashed through the open roof, smudging them in a layer of saltwater. The tumbling picked up the pace and fast, rolling and rolling until ultimately coming to an exact, jarring stop. The two sprang out like fireworks, and they slammed into solid ground and skidded through a grainy surface.

They pulled themselves apart and stood to their feet unevenly. Ayana rubbed the crusty substance from her eyes as Alex coughed up a mouthful of it, brushing it from his tongue frantically.

Once her vision cleared, Ayana glanced at the new location. Large trees, vegetation, sand...

What?

Trees?! Vegetation?! Sand?!

Land! They're on land!