"Roy...this isn't what it-"

"What do আপনি think you're doing?! You're sick!"

"No! Roy! I-I didn't do this! আপনি have to believe me!"

"How can I believe আপনি when your standing before me covered in blood!?"

"Roy, if I were you, I wouldn't believe me either, but I did not do this.-"

Leonard stopped abruptly when he saw Alice coming into Roy's habitat. "What in the world?!" She exclaimed at the sight of Leonard's bloodstained body and the small pile of bloodstained অস্থি behind him. Leonard didn't know where to go অথবা what to do. There was certainly no way he could convince Alice that he was innocent, her being human and him being a koala and all. He didn't think, he just acted. He started running. He couldn't let Alice catch him. Who knows what she'd do.

"Hey!" She called as she started after him.

Leonard-heart racing and feet pounding into the cement beneath him-flew around the corners of the habitats. He caught quick glimpses of the other zoo জন্তু জানোয়ার in their habitats. Even though he only saw them for a বিভক্ত করা second, he could tell that they were shocked at the sight that they were witnessing. It was enough to make Leonard self-conscious of the blood covering his body. But that didn't stop him from running. He started to hear the sound of Alice's footsteps growing behind him and he started to fear that she would catch him, but Alice gave first. She stopped running and doubled over with her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Leonard kept running. When he reached the gates, he stopped and turned around.

From as far as he could see, the other zoo জন্তু জানোয়ার were looking at him with disappointment...and betrayal. His হৃদয় wrenched between pounds, but if he stayed, who knows what Alice অথবা even the zoo জন্তু জানোয়ার would do to him. He turned and left the zoo.

**************************************************************

He probably ran about a quarter mile from the zoo before he reached the pond. He sat down at the edge of the water and took heavy breaths as he took in his reflection. Despite the fact that he was covered in blood, sweat, and dirt, that wasn't what he noticed first. It was the tears that had formed in his eyes and had slowly began to roll down his cheeks. When had he started crying? That's when he choked and sniffed, as if realizing that he was crying made the tears come harder. A few মিনিট had passed before he decided that crying wasn't going to get him anywhere. Though it was tempting to wipe his eyes with his paws, the thought of bringing blood that close to his face sickened him. There was already আরো on his face than he'd like.

He pulled himself to the waters' edge and scooped water up in his paws and splashed it into his face. He scrubbed at the stains, but quickly realized that it was difficult to wash the blood off due to the fact that it had dried to the point where his পশম had clumped and stuck together. Leonard groaned. How much worse could this situation get?

As if on cue, a loud rumble of thunder sounded overhead. He looked up at the gloomy dark clouds. It hadn't started raining, but it was going to soon. He took a deep breath to refrain from screaming to release his frustration. What had he ever done to deserve this? Why was this happening? After taking another breath and holding it, he brought himself under the water. He rubbed his arms, face, and abdomen until finally the blood came loose and floated away from his person. After frequently surfacing to breathe, he finally cleansed the blood from his fur, at least as far as he could see.

Even though he emerged from the pond dripping wet and cold, he was just satisfied that he was clean. Now all that mattered was getting somewhere warm, dry, but আরো importantly, safe.

Unfortunately, finding somewhere dry in the park would be difficult, and would take too long to accomplish. It would start raining too soon. His best chance was to find salvation somewhere in the city. That's when he was reminded of the reality of why he was there. Leonard thought he'd been smart, but due to অভিনয় in a panic, he hadn't realized that he'd just প্রদত্ত the dog what he wanted: an easy target. But he couldn't go back to the zoo, not with Alice and a herd of angry zoosters there waiting for him. A rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning made him jump and he quickened his pace. Surely, finding somewhere warm and dry wouldn't be too hard.

It was just the matter of staying hidden.

**************************************************************

Rain pounded on the roof of the Zoovenir Shop. The zoo জন্তু জানোয়ার had gathered there after Alice had locked up and left. Nobody could stop talking about what had occurred an ঘন্টা ago. All but Roy, who remained silent in the corner of the Shop. He was overwhelmed that Leonard could be so sinister.

"Alright. Settle down, everyone." Skipper ordered from atop the counter. Gradually, silence replaced the murmur of the animals' voices. "I know that this has come as a shock to you, as I'm sure it is to all of us, including myself. We all knew Leonard as someone who would normally stay out of others' business. Even when he did, he was always kind. But we all know what we saw this morning. I'm afraid that without a doubt, Leonard is guilty.-"

"No he's not!"

A gasp erupted from the জন্তু জানোয়ার as Private stepped অগ্রবর্তী onto the counter. Skipper faced him.

"Private, you're telling me, that even after we all saw Leonard at the scene of the crime, আপনি still believe that Leonard's innocent?" He asked, just as dumbfounded as everyone else.

"Yes I do." Private stated matter-of-factually.

"Private, we saw him doing it." Skipper argued.

"No, আপনি saw him at the scene of the crime. No one actually saw him commit it." Private pointed out. King Julien's argument came next.

"Then how are আপনি to be explaining the blood resumé that showed up on his paws?"

"Um...the blood residue could have been a result of a frame job." Private suggested.

"But who would have the motive to frame him?" Kowalski piped up.

"Obviously, the dog that mauled the pup."

"And how would that dog pull any of this off without being caught?" Skipper asked, his voice rising.

"I dunno, maybe he got some help." Private answered matching his volume.

"Private, I know আপনি don't want to believe Leonard's guilty, but আপনি just can't let your হৃদয় get in the way of the evidence!"

"I'm not! Okay, আপনি want to know the truth!? I don't want to believe that he's innocent! Is that what আপনি want to hear?! I want to believe that he's guilty! But I can't! I just can't believe that he is! And there's nothing আপনি can say অথবা do that's going to change that!" Private was now yelling and anger, and had stepped অগ্রবর্তী so he and Skipper were now face to face. Skipper met his gaze.

"Now, আপনি listen to me, soldier, I am your commanding officer. I will not be spoken to in that level of disrespect."

Private remained silent for a couple of seconds; his eyes narrowed into slits. "I will not apologize for stating my mind." Though he ব্যক্ত it plainly, his হৃদয় began to pound with nervousness. He'd never spoken to him this way before.

Skipper folded his flippers over his chest. "Keep it up and I might feel obliged to probate আপনি for insubordination."

Kowalski and Rico exchanged a glance. Skipper and Private have had their tiffs, but they'd never been this neck-and-neck before.

Private mirrored him. "Then how about আপনি share with us your theory." For someone as tenderhearted as Private, he sure could be intimidating if he tried-minus the accent.

Skipper took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright. My theory is that after seeing this dog's actions, Leonard suffered from post-dramatic stress of possibly a বিভক্ত করা personality. His mind's way of coping with the situation was taking it out on other innocent bystanders. Therefore, when he snapped out of it, he had no memory of his actions. Your turn."

"Fair enough. My theory is that after Leonard witnessed the dog murder the pup, the dog had to be sure that his mouth was kept shut. What better way than to frame him? He'd lose the trust of his বন্ধু and probably end up on the streets. At which time, Leonard would become easy prey. He could finish him off and no one would ever know what happened to him."

"And how has the dog gotten around without being caught?" Skipper argued shifting his flippers to his hips.

Private unintentionally mirrored him again. "Leonard mentioned a mysterious gray bunny that had entered his habitat. Perhaps he's in on it. the dog probably threatened him অথবা something."

Skipper laughed. "A bunny? A bunny?! Oh, wonderful theory, Private. We're under attack দ্বারা an adorable little ball of fur!" Skipper ব্যক্ত in an overly-sarcastic tone. "You do realize how ridiculous that sounds?!"

"Don't আপনি put words in my beak, Skipper! আপনি know bloody well that it's a likely possibility!" Private insisted jabbing his flipper in Skipper's direction.

"Oh, for the প্রণয় of Lincoln's itchy beard! I knew আপনি were naive, Private, but not full out incompetent!"

"Incompetent!? Incompetent?!? You're one to talk about incompetence! আপনি don't know everything! Why can't আপনি just once consider the possibility that আপনি might be wrong?!"

"Because I'm relying on facts instead of fantasy!"

"Fantasy?! So now you're just calling me a liar, are you?!"

"Now who's putting words into whose beak?! I'm just saying that we can't consider a theory that's based on your gut when everyone's life is on the line!"

"If everyone's life is on the line, then why are we wasting our time arguing instead of going out to look for him?!"

"You started this argument in the first place!"

"Well, whether I started it অথবা not, I'm ending it!" Private pushed past him and hopped to the floor, making his way for the door.

"Where are আপনি going, soldier?! Get back here this instant!" Skipper ordered.

Private replied without stopping অথবা turning around. "No! I'm going to look for Leonard! That's hoping that the dog hasn't gotten to him first!"

"Private, it's cold, wet, and dangerous out there!"

"And আপনি care?!" Private snapped whipping around on his heel to face him.

Skipper stopped himself. He wasn't expecting Private to say that. "Private, I-"

"You nothing!" Private interrupted once again making his way to the door. "I'm going to look for him and there's nothing আপনি অথবা anybody can do to stop me!" Private left the Zoovenir Shop, slamming the door behind him, the sound echoed and hung in the air for a few seconds.

Everyone's attention shifted to Skipper, whose gaze was still fixed on the door. When he turned back to them, he examined each of their gazes. Most were staring with mouths gaping. Especially Kowalski and Rico, who seemed unable to pick their beaks up off of the counter. "What?" He was answered with silence. "What? Let him go! Let him learn his own lesson!"

Kowalski pulled himself together and stepped পরবর্তি to him. "Skipper, if আপনি want to go after him, no-"

"I don't need to chase after him! He obviously doesn't need us! He has his own opinion!"

"But, Skip-"

"No, Kowalski. He'll come crawling back with a sappy 'I was wrong' speech and beg for forgiveness and everything will go back to normal. For the most part. Meeting adjourned."

With that, everyone returned to their habitats without another word.

**************************************************************

How do the penguins do this? When Skipper commands Stealth Mode, they jump right into it as if someone had thrown a switch. Then again, Leonard had never had training অথবা practice with stealth. Plus, it was raining, so getting around wasn't exactly a walk in the park.

He'd been looking for somewhere dry for over an hour, but it just seemed impossible. Water fell on him from the sky and seemed last forever. Everywhere he looked was either occupied অথবা as damp as the streets. He was about to give up when something caught his eye.

It was the gray bunny.

He sat just a few yards away before he slowly hopped to where Leonard was hiding behind a newspaper stand. Leonard, exhausted, was too tired to care. The bunny once again sniffed his paw, then sat on the sidewalk and looked at him with those large, adorable brown eyes.

"What are you here for?"

That was the last thing Leonard ব্যক্ত before he felt something strike the back of his head and everything went black.