Author's Note: Basically the premise of this series is having Gia be with the gang since the beginning. I was curious how their friendships/relationships(mostly her relationship with Alex) would change. Her past with the circus still exists, though it is heavily implied that she was removed from a young age so she doesn't remember it, similar to Alex's backstory with Africa. I really hope you enjoy it.


Her dreams were always weird. Maybe it had something to do with the branch she normally slept on. She just liked to be as far up as she could go, giving her the perfect view of the night sky with the branches above she pried apart so the leaves wouldn't block the view. It was comfortable, but her dreams often consisted of muddled feelings and images; there was a lot of red and yellow or black and orange. It all felt strangely familiar, but her earliest memory was being dumped out of a crate into the enclosure she currently resided in today, complete with a large grassy patch, a few boulders, and her precious tree with its many thick branches for her to snooze in.

Today was an important day for the zoo. Gia had overheard the zookeepers' a week previously they'd be welcoming several classes from different school districts, all on a field trip to see New York's beloved animals in their beloved zoo. While Gia wasn't the most popular attraction, she still enjoyed seeing all the children's faces she could as they watched in amazement as she swung from branch to branch on her tree, dancing across the grass as though she were as light as air; all of it came so easy to her, though she didn't know why.

Today was also important because it was a certain somebody's birthday and she was anxious to celebrate with him and their fellow companions. When Gia first arrived, it didn't take long for her to befriend those around her enclosure. Then again, they didn't give her much of a choice. Her enclosure was between Gloria and Marty's, two of the first animals she had the pleasure in meeting. Gloria was excited to finally have another female around to talk to, whereas Marty originally spoke to her so he could borrow the grass patches within her enclosure because on certain days, his treadmill wasn't enough. Befriending her was a plus to the perk.

Not long after, Gia had the pleasure in meeting Melman and Alex. Melman was quite sure she was an incredibly ill lioness due to the spots lining up and down her fur. That further proved her theory that she was the first jaguar here. While frustratingly paranoid, Gia felt Melman was sweet and compassionate.

Alex, on the other hand, was very arrogant, narcissistic, and sometimes he could be a little ignorant, but that didn't stop them from becoming extremely close. Her friendship to the elder lion was vastly different to the relationship she had with the other three. And they found themselves forcefully encountering that stepping stone to another level to their 'friendship', but both were far too nervous and not ready to take it just yet. Besides, everything was easier as friends, why take the chance to ruin it?

Anyway, she had planned on sleeping in until they arrived as a way to give herself some much needed rest in order to be peppy and upbeat for both the children and for Marty. And while her dreams had her mind scrambled more than it already was, it would help boost morale and get her ready for today's long activities. Unfortunately for her, Alex had other ideas.

Alex was the most popular attraction at the zoo; he was all over the merchandise in the gift shop and plastered on posters around the city, boasting about the zoo for patrons to come in and see. That meant he was always the most excited for new days for new people to come admire him. Gia didn't mind that at all, at least not until he had suddenly leapt onto her tree without her knowing.

"Gia! Gia, Gia, Gia, Gia!" he chanted, startling her awake so she yipped and slid off the branch, thankfully clinging to it with her paws and back legs. She resembled much more of a sloth now with her position. She looked around for the culprit, her amber eyes focusing on Alex, who seemed to be hanging from one of the higher branches by his legs. "Oh, good! You're up! C'mon, c'mon! Today's the day! Big field trip day! You were so excited for this yesterday!"

Gia's smile was very much sarcastic, but it did nothing to deter Alex from his good mood. "Grand, Alex, could you have-a given me some kind of-a warnin'?" She looked pointedly at the branch she clung to, and he seemed to understand, smiling guiltily as his ears flattened to his head.

"Uh, whoops! Ah, well, maybe you need a little adrenaline to perk you up a bit! I'll see you after the big show!" Alex laughed happily, swinging himself expertly from the tree down below, shooting her the double guns before leaping into Gloria's enclosure to wake her next. Gia huffed, unsticking her claws and mirroring him to land carefully on the grass, her small hind legs digging into the earth. It was so early she could feel the morning dew still sticking to the grass. She rolled her shoulders, cracking her neck and eliciting a yawn.

She looked around just in time to see Gloria sink back into the depths of her pool, still tired and doing nothing for Alex's wake up call, though the lion didn't seem to notice, as he had moved onto Melman next. Gia shook her head, smiling before turning to her other neighbor, seeing he was already awake. Though, Gia understood he was an early riser as is. He seemed to be talking to himself, pacing back and forth on the small grass patch he was given which paled in comparison to hers. She felt guilty; he clearly needed more space compared to her. She didn't feel the instinct to run everyday.

"Buongiorno, Marty!" Gia greeted excitedly, hopping up to the gate that separated them.

"Hey, Gi! Mornin'!" Marty said, once he knocked himself out of his quiet mantra. He smiled, approaching the gate on all fours so they could hear each other better. "Seein' as there isn't a bite mark anywhere on him, I take you didn't kick Alex to the curb for the wake up call?"

"I didn't have the energy to," Gia smiled, before throwing her spotted arms around Marty's neck, unaware she was accidentally choking him. "Happy birthday!"

"Agth! Thank you, Gi, could you, uh, loosen your grip a lit-a little?" Marty asked, his voice muffled. Gia smiled apologetically, quickly releasing him.

"Ten years old, you must-a be so excited, no?" Gia asked, her tail flickering behind her.

"Oh, yeah, it's...somethin' alright," Marty said, smiling, though the jaguar could see right through it.

"You aren't happy?"

"What? No. No, no, no, I'm fine! Just...need to find my groove is all. Guess midlife crisis ain't a joke. But Alex's drilled into my head that all's I need is somethin' fresh! Improvisation, the whole she-bang!" Marty said, standing on his back legs as he spread out his arms, as though he were showing Gia a vision she could not see.

"Well, you shouldn't have issues with that! I'll be keeping an eye on you to see what you-a have in mind!" Gia promised, giving the zebra a thumbs up before turning as the crowds began pouring in once the barred doors slid open. She could not see Marty's smile drop as her back turned, rubbing the back of his neck before retrieving his limited edition Alex the lion reusable cup and take a long drink before leaning up against the corner with his head tucked in.

"Just keep it fresh. Straight out the ground! Tasty fresh! Freshalicious!" He took a drink and spat it right back out, similar to the athletes. "Ziploc fresh!"

Gia began her own warm ups for her own act. She breathed in and out evenly with her amber eyes shut, stretching her arms, legs, even her tail. She approached her tree and gently ran her paw down the side, ensuring it wasn't too slippery, lest she fall and completely embarrass herself like she'd done repeatedly at least fourteen times since she started the act.

"Gia, the flying jaguar," she whispered to herself, hopping from one foot to the other. "You are Gia...the flying-a jaguar!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages," a familiar voice started, heard with ease with the amount of speakers set up around the zoo. Gia turned curiously, happy to see Alex so excited for his own act. She couldn't help but smile, her ears flattening in delight, all anger from that morning's wake up call suddenly forgotten. She quickly stopped, however, realizing her focus was divided, and she couldn't have that. "the Central Park zoo proudly presents: the king of New York City...Alex the lion!" With a resounding boom, Alex had leapt onto his rock with his signature roar, Gia quickly turning as she noticed her enclosure was now gaining a crowd. She smiled beautifully, opening her arms wide.

"Ladies and gentlemen, presenting a-Gia!" she said loudly as a way to pump herself up. She knew they couldn't understand her, but it helped set the atmosphere. "The famous dancing, flying, gravity-defying jaguar! You're sure in for a real-a treat today!" She now looked pointedly at the kids pressing themselves up against the bars, gazing at her in awe.

"Look, Mommy! Look at her pretty spots!" one of the little girls exclaimed, pointing. Gia smiled, taking a deep breath, before flipping backward with practiced perfection, landing on her front paws with ease as her tail worked as a way to keep her balanced. The kids all laughed, clapping their hands. Gia did a small twirl, using the momentum to thrust her up in the air, savoring the moment on how it felt to be so high, even going as far as to blow her audience a kiss, before landing with her front paws clinging to one of her branches, swinging to and fro before clinging to another one. It was like she was bred for this, though she didn't exactly know what to call it.

As her act went on and she continued to leap, flip, and dance her way around her enclosure, continuing to dazzle the kids, she could see a familiar photographer that often came to the zoo to get anything that could promote the business. He caught Gia once in the air, once in her tree, and once when she landed on the ground, using the tip of her tail like a little spring.

The day was proving to be a good one, especially as her audience changed each time she'd switch it up a bit. As the hours passed in a blur, Gia was beginning to get a little tired, but she kept herself going until the last teacher managed to drag their students away to get back on the bus, finally allowing Gia the chance to properly breathe. She cupped a paw over her chest, panting, but she was still smiling, still elated. She loved to perform.

With her day coming to a close, she turned her attention to her companions, seeing Gloria had also finished her day, as she was lounging at the very top of her pool, arms cupping the back of her head quite comfortably. Gia didn't want to bother her. Instead, the feline turned back to Marty's enclosure, seeing he was now performing a crude arm joke that made disgusting noises, but she laughed anyhow.

"Yeah!" Marty cackled, gazing down at the kids still watching him. "You don't see that on Animal Planet!" The kids were obviously yearning to see more, even mirroring him, but the parents were pulling them towards the exits. "Ha-ha! Well, show's over, folks! Thanks for comin'! I hope you thought it was fresh! I'll be here all week! In fact, I'll be here for my whole life! Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, including Christmas, Hanukkah, Halloween, Kwanzaa! Please don't forget to never spay or neuter your pets. And tip your cabbie because he's...broke."

That definitely threw Gia for a loop. Concerned, she went to go question him, but she could hear her name being called instead, making her turn. Gloria was at the very edge of her pool, beckoning to the jaguar to come closer so they could talk. Gia bit her lip, looking back at Marty, before deciding to go see what Gloria wanted.

"Buon pomeriggio, Gloria," Gia greeted, waving down at her. "Is everything-a okay?"

"Yes, yes, everythin's fine! I just needed to see if you managed to get somethin' for Marty. Melman's insistin' on keepin' his a secret, something about the sacredity of gift-givin', but I need some ideas!" Gloria whispered, glancing nervously at Marty's enclosure to be sure he couldn't hear.

Gia smiled. "I might-a have taken something I shouldn't have!" She looked around before sneaking behind her tree, digging up something and bringing it out for Gloria to see. It was a comic book stuffed inside a sandwich bag so it wouldn't get dirt on it. "Those awful teenage boys two weeks ago, the ones who were tossing the trash around, I got this off of them when they weren't-a looking! Clever, no?"

"Man, I shoulda taken something when the place was packed!" Gloria criticized herself.

Gia's brow raised. "I thought you had a cake prepared. That is good gift, no? None of us thought of that!"

"I know, but it's special today! He's turning ten!"

"Yes...about that...I think Marty might be struggling with-" Gia was cut off by the animatronic voice again.

"For his final performance of the day! The king of New York City...Alex the lion!"

Cannons burst with sparks, balloons, and confetti. Gloria and Gia both playfully rolled their eyes, watching as Alex played it up, posing and working the audience, easily controlling the way they moved, cheered, and jumped.

"He is somethin' else, I'll tell ya that," Gloria snorted.

"Oh, he is-a something else, alright," Gia playfully tutted, crossing her arms. "How he manages to fit a head that size on his body, I'll-a never know."

Gloria grinned knowingly. "You could at least try to take your eyes off him."

Gia stiffened and glared at her friend. "Not funny."

"Oh, c'mon, you know I'm playin'!" Gloria said.

The bell rang for the final time, signaling everyone to officially head for the exits so the zoo could be locked up. That never took too long; Gia was anxious for everyone, including the staff, to leave so they could get started with Marty's birthday celebration. With the barred doors locked, there was only another half hour before Gia could see the line of cooks heading out, tailed by more of the staff, ready to pamper their animals for a job well done. With Alex being groomed, Gloria getting a massage, Marty getting his hooves shined, and Melman continuing to be treated for things Gia never heard of, the jaguar was sitting back in a small chair they brought in, two of the staff taking her paws and keeping her claws neatly cut, whereas her feet were allowed to soak in a bucket of warm water, enough to nearly lull her to sleep.

The cooks brought her what they always brought her, two tiny steaks surrounded by three bones that had her mouth watering. Gia was always satisfied with her meals, but the bones were treats, something she constantly coveted like they were her babies. Not only did they help massage her teeth, they tasted divine, spiced in something she didn't recognize, but it was still the best.

Soon enough, the chefs and staff cleared out, leaving the zoo for all of the animals to finally be able to relax and kick back. Gathering her plate in her arms along with her present for Marty, Gia was quick to welcome herself to the pillar that connected all of their enclosures, making it easy for them to talk, eat, and hold a birthday dessert for Marty to enjoy.

"Did you see the crowd out there today?" Alex asked as Gia put her platter down. "I thought for sure I was going to have to have security beat them off with a stick!" Alex posed dramatically, clutching his own much bigger steak in one of his paws.

"Alex, now's not the time," Gloria said, rolling her eyes.

"I've got the haths!" Melman announced, holding four party hats in his mouth, already wearing a pink and yellow spotted one. The other three quickly denied him, but Gia happily plucked a blue and green one, strapping it down over her head as she clapped her paws together excitedly.

"Ooh, it's Marty's birthday!" Gloria sang, absolutely beside herself. Melman had leaned down just then and lifted up a carefully wrapped gift, complete with a golden bow taped on top. Gia was momentarily confused how Melman managed to wrap it so skillfully, given he had only hooves to work with.

"Just rip it open," Alex insisted, leaning coyly on the banister, grinning at his best friend.

"C'mon, open it up!" Gloria insisted.

"What is it? What is it?" Marty asked, shaking the present near his ear as though that would help him figure out what was inside.

"I can't wait to see what it is!" Gia gushed.

At last, Marty took off the top, giving the answer to Gia's earlier question. Melman didn't wrap it after all.

Sitting in the middle of the box was a thermometer.

"Yeah!" Marty cheered.

"Yes!" Gloria mirrored him, smiling up at Melman as she laid a hand on his shoulder. Gia noticed how he brightened up considerably for that.

"A thermometer! Thanks! I love it, Melman, I love it!" Marty happily declared, twirling it in the air before catching it in his mouth with ease. While an odd sort of gift, given Melman's mannerisms, it was quite a thoughtful gift to give.

"Yeah, I wanted to give you something personal. You know, that was my first rectal thermometer."

Gia's eyes widened, her ears flattening against her head. Instantly, Marty spat it out, wiping his tongue furiously with his hooves to get the taste out of his mouth. Deciding to save grace, she quickly plucked out her gift from underneath her food platter, holding it above her head.

"Okay, okay, my-a turn!" she chirped, dancing on the spot. "You must see my gift, Marty!"

Marty was still recovering, his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth.

"Thanth thu, Gi," he said with a light lisp, looking green in the face. Gia thrust her gift into his face, her face lit up in excitement. She wasn't aware of Alex smiling at her, slightly amused and appreciative by her expression. Gloria, however, did notice, and she gave Alex a knowing grin, making him clear his throat immediately and take a small bite out of his steak as a way to recover.

Marty gazed down at the front, his mouth slowly itching up to a smile. "No way! A comic book! This is really cool, Gi!" He was talking normal again, completely forgetting about the thermometer incident. Thankfully so, Gia was afraid she'd lose her dinner.

She clapped her paws together. "I am so glad!"

"Here, I'll even put it in my bed so I can use it for midnight readin', make it easier on the eyes, you know?" Marty winked, turning away to go put the comic book in the bed of hay. With his distraction, Gloria quickly bent down and retrieved the cake she had worked so hard on, complete with a lit number ten candle. Gia thought it looked absolutely delicious. She turned to Alex and noticed him counting quietly, giving them their cue for what they've been working on the past entire week.

"Mmm," they harmonized, making Marty turn, confused.

"Happy," Alex began, with Gia continuing.

"Birthday!"

"To," Gloria followed, and Melman after that.

"You!"

"You..."

"Live..."

"In..."

"A zoo..."

"You look like a monkey!"

"AND..."

They joined together now, posing dramatically, "You smell like one, too!" They now laughed themselves silly; it was a dumb thing, but they thought it'd be fun to do for Marty, who clearly enjoyed it with the way he smiled. He shook his head, chuckling quietly.

"Aw, well, now, you guys are just embarrassin' me!" Marty said. "And yourselves!"

"What are you talking about? We worked on that all week!" Alex explained.

Gia nodded. "It involved a lot-a crying from Melman."

"He didn't need to know that," Melman grumbled.

"Let's go!" Gloria interrupted, pushing the cake towards Marty. "Let's make a wish, babycakes!"

Marty closed his eyes for a moment, clearly thinking of his wish before blowing the candle out crudely and taking a huge bite from the cake, smothering his lips in the frosting. Gia shook her head smiling, taking the initiative to start on her own meal, finishing the steaks and sneaking her bones behind her back, unaware the animals did not care at all about her bones and wouldn't even think to steal them.

"C'mon, what'd you wish for?" Alex pressed.

"Nope! Can't tell you that!" Marty instantly denied.

"Come on, tell!" Alex insisted, now even more curious.

"No siree! I'm tellin' you, it's bad luck! You want some bad luck, I'll blab it out! But if you want to be safe, I'll keep my mouth shut!" Marty blabbed, clearly trying his best to get them off of the subject. But that seemed to curb Gia's curiosity, too. What could Marty possibly want that would make him hesitant to tell them?"

"Oh, c'mon, would you just tell us? I mean, really, what could happen?" Gloria said.

"What could be so bad, anyhow? If it has something-a to do with your treadmill, I'd-a understand." Gia added for emphasis.

"Okay, okay!" Marty paused. "I wish...I could go...to the wild!"

"THE WILD? WOAH!" Alex exclaimed, losing his balance and falling from the banister into his enclosure below. Melman choked on the party blower he had hanging out the side of his mouth. Gia dropped her bones in surprise, the two easily falling down the lean hill of earth somehow to Gloria's pool and sinking in. Gloria, however, just had her mouth drop in both shock and horror. None of them had expected that from Marty.

"I told you it was bad luck!" Marty said, his eyes widening as Gloria tried to help Melman cough up the party blower, making terrible honking noises as he did so. Gia covered her mouth with her paws, her ears flicking back and forth while her tail hung between her legs.

"The wild? Are you nuts?" Alex demanded, suddenly appearing again as he climbed back up. "That is the worst idea I've ever heard!" Just then, Gloria was successful, Melman coughing up the party favor and sending it straight into Marty's enclosure a few feet away from the zebra.

"It's unsanitary!" Melman said once he finally caught his breath.

"Not to mention dangerous!" Gia added, finally uncovering her mouth.

"The penguins are going!" Marty said, as if that helped matters. "So why can't I?"

"The penguins are psychotic!" Alex scoffed, grabbing his forgotten steak.

The penguins they were speaking of came in a waddle of four. The leader was named Skipper, followed by the brains Kowalski, the rough one Rico, and the tiny loyal one Private. Alex was right, however. The penguins were psychotic. They were constantly getting into different shenanigans, all the while talking in weird spy jargon. Gia tried her best to keep her distance, but they've clearly gotten to Marty. They probably put this idea in his head in the first place.

"Come on!" Marty said. "Just imagine going back to nature! Back to your roots! Clean air, wide-open spaces!" He raced to the edge of his enclosure leaning over and gesturing to the mural that had several animals, including a lion, zebra, giraffe, hippo, and even a jaguar. It was something Gia knew Marty gazed at often.

"Well, I hear they have wide-open spaces in Connecticut!" Gloria offered, though Gia sensed she was talking as though all of this was hypothetical. But Gia knew when Marty set his mind on something, it was difficult to set him off course.

"Connecticut?" he asked, proving Gia's theory.

"What you gotta do is you got to go over to Grand Central...then you got to take the Metro-North train...north?" Melman added on, making Gia smack her face in exasperation.

"So one could take the train?" Marty asked. "Just hypothetically."

"Marty, don't be a-silly! Why would you want to leave the zoo?" Gia asked.

"Yeah, besides! What would Connecticut have to offer us?" Alex asked.

"Lyme disease!" Melman answered easily.

"Thank you, Melman!" Alex said, patting his friend on the neck.

Gia turned to Marty. "Besides, what would you even-a do? What could they have that you don't here?"

"I did mention the wide-open spaces, didn't I?"

"Well put an anonymous tip in the suggestion box, let the zookeepers know you want your-a enclosure expanded." Gia suggested.

Marty rolled his eyes. "It's more than that! It's about gettin' to be a real animal! A real zebra!"

"And the wild's gonna give you that?" Alex asked. He suddenly shoved his half eaten steak in Marty's face. "There's certainly none of this in the water! This is a highly refined type of food thing that you do not find in the wild!" He talked over all of Marty's attempts at defending himself.

"You ever thought there might be more to life than steak, Alex?" Marty asked weakly.

Alex looked beyond offended, clinging to his steak like it was his child. "He didn't mean that baby. No, no, no..."

Marty scoffed. "Doesn't it bother you guys that you don't know about anything outside the zoo?"

"Nuh-uh. Nope," Melman answered quickly.

"Mm-mm."

"Well, I suppose it has-a crossed my mind occasionally, all things considered with how I got here and-a from...where..." Gia quickly trailed off, seeing the other three glare disapprovingly at her. She smiled instead, shaking her head quickly. "No, I've never wondered. Not at all."

"And I mean, c'mon! It's just one subject!" Alex scoffed, before pointing to his lips. "You got a, uh, a little schmutz right there on your..." Marty sighed and took the hint, using one of the paper towels available and wiping his mouth clean from the frosting.

"Thanks, guys!" Marty said at last, sounding completely defeated, making Gia feel completely guilty. "Thanks for the party! It was great! Really!" With that, he turned his back and slowly trudged towards his treadmill, switching it on to its lowest settings and slowly walking on his hind legs as it moved.

"What's his problem?" Melman asked.

"To be fair, we weren't exactly his number one-a supporters just now," Gia mumbled, chastising herself.

"Oh, c'mon, Gia! The wild? It's just the penguins gettin' in his head!" Alex said.

"Maybe you should talk to him, Alex," Gloria quietly suggested. "You know, go over and give him a little pep talk!"

"Hey, I already gave him a snow globe! I can't top that!" Alex said, incredulous.

"Alex, c'mon..." Gia said quietly, obviously agreeing with Gloria.

"Well, I can see where this is going. It is getting late," Melman said, taking off his party hat and yawning. "I guess I'm gonna..." Melman immediately cut himself off, falling asleep and snoring. Used to it, the other three ignored him.

Gloria and Alex began exchanging several hand movements, most of which Gia didn't understand. It wasn't until Gloria very clearly threatened violence that Alex seemed to give in, but he still made no movement to speak to Marty, who was unaware completely of what was going on.

"C'mon, he's your best friend," Gloria whispered.

"Alright, alright, okay," Alex gave in tiredly, running a paw through his mane.

"Just-a make sure you don't upset him. It's his birthday, if you'll-a remember," Gia said quietly, putting an assuring paw on his shoulder, ignoring the warmth radiating off the lion.

"Night, Marty!" Gloria called, retiring to her pool.

"Night, Gloria," Marty mumbled, still sounding disappointed.

Before Gloria dove in, she continued to point between Alex and Marty, at last disappearing just before doing one final hand signal and sleeping for the night.

"Goodnight, a-Alex," Gia smiled, nodding to him. "Goodnight, Marty!"

"Night, Gi," Marty's voice didn't get any higher than that. Clearly they had all hurt his feelings. Hopefully Alex's pep talk would put him back in his old...what was his phrase?...crackalacking self?

Just before Gia could climb up her tree to take her position to sleep, something flew from Gloria's enclosure down to her feet. She was delighted to see it was her bones. Clutching them into her mouth, she made quick work in climbing, hiding them in their usual spot before lounging on one of the higher branches, once more giving her the perfect view of the night sky.

She hoped she wouldn't be haunted again by her odd dreams. Perhaps the party and the good day would put her enough at ease that she didn't dream at all. Slowly, she closed her amber eyes, lightly snoring into the early night.