It was nighttime in the circus and everyone was asleep. In one of the carts, Gia was asleep but then THUD!

The jaguar gasped in surprise and her eyes popped open, startled by that sudden. It sounded like something fell on the ground.

"Ow. Should've brought a flash light" her ears twitched at a familiar voice whispering and complaining to himself. "Alex?" She said, recognizing that voice. The jaguar quietly got up and peeked into the open crack of her door where she can see a tiny bit outside.

Alex picked up a helmet which was probably what he tripped over and he put it on a haystack before walking off towards the big top. The jaguar was suspicious and curious about why the lion was up so late.

Gia stood up and slowly opened her door. Just because Alex had walked a little far from her doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to hear a train cart door opening.

She opened it just enough for her to poke her head out and take a look. The jaguar saw the coast was clear. She got out of her cart and walked over to the big top.

She entered inside the tent, her head turning left and right and her brown eyes scanning for the lion.

"Don't think about it. Don't think about it" her ears perked at Alex's voice coming from the right. Gia realized that his voice sounded a little scared.

She walked to the corner and she saw the lion. Alex was leaning on a wall, rubbing his face scared. Gia's face soften in worry as she got our of the corner more.

"Alex?" Gia asked worried, her ears down. Alex lifted his paw of his face and he got surprised to see Gia. "Gia!" He said surprised and leaned off the wall and smiled at her nervously.

"Gia! Hey hey um what are you doing up?" He asked her awkwardly and jaguar got surprised at his sudden change of behavior. Her ears went up in surprise but she still looked at him worried.

"Alex? Are you alright?" She asked him concerned and Alex notice how worried she look. "Um yeah yeah. I'm fine. I'm uh I'm great" he told her nervously but Gia wasn't fooled. She could tell he was hiding something.

"I heard some noise and woke up. Then I saw you outside" she told him and Alex realized what she meant. "Sorry. That was me. I tripped over something and fell" he explained to her.

"Why are you up?" She asked curious and Alex got quiet and looked away, his smile fading. Gia got closer to him and her paws went one of his and held it. Alex stared at her blushing and he saw her brown eyes worried.

"You don't have to hide anything. You can tell me" she assured him, rubbing his paw to comfrot him. Alex took a deep breath and let it out.

"I just...had a nightmare. That's all" he told her, his ears down. Alex wanted to avoid telling her but the jaguar wasn't letting him off the hook that easy.

"What was it?" She asked him and he turned his face away from her. His eyes shut hard like he was in a pain. "I ...I hurt my friends. I was hunting them. Marty, Gloria and Melman and I wasn't able to catch them but still it terrified me and I woke up" he admitted to her and Gia could hear how scared his voice was and his eyes opened scared.

"But you would never hurt anyone. It was just a bad dream" she tried to assure him but then Alex turned to her wide eye and scared "It's happened before Gia" he told her panic and Gia got startled and Alex pulled his paw away from her.

He took a deep breath and looked at her "My friends and I got stranded on an island and I went hungry for two days. I went wild and I tried to eat my friends. I almost hurt them and I had no control of myself" he explained to her scared and guilty.

Gia stared at him wide eye and surprised that Alex could do something like that. But her face soften and she was not gonna leave Alex like this.

Gia hugged Alex, wrapping her arms around him. Alex blushed surprised at the sudden moved and his eyes looked down on her. Gia rested her head on his shoulder and whisperes in his ear.

"If you couldn't control yourself, then how are your friends still here?" She asked him and Alex stayed quiet. "It's because you did control yourself" she moved her head off his shoulder to look at him. She smiled at him gently, her brown eyes shining.

"Alex. You would never hurt your friends. Even if you weren't yourself, you would held yourself back go protect those you love. I know that. And you have to know that too" she advised him and rested her head back on his shoulder.

Alex smiled at her, feeling better and he wrapped his paws around her, returning the hug. "Thanks Gia" he whispered to her and she smiled at him, happy to see him cheered up and the two went back sleep.