*Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter!!! How are you guys doing? How are you enjoying this story so far? Yeah? No? So-so? It will get more interesting as it goes along. This is published on April 16, 2021. If you like this chapter, don't be afraid to vote and spam the comment section. That will encourage me as a writer. Maya Hart does not belong to me but to my good friend, jazzyjazz. The song used is called "Someone to You" by Banners. Enjoy!*

Mask? Check. Knife? Check. Blade?

Chirea checked her hilt in the dusk by the boat dock of Catalonia.

"Check," she muttered to herself as she put her mask on. Her hands grabbed the hoodie and pulled it over her head.

She hopped from the edge she's standing, her feet landing on the metal cargo while running through the gentle night breeze.

Chirea encountered a guard below her as she jumped right into him, tackling him onto the guard. The guard was a rhino, who grabbed her and thrusted her against the wall.

Chirea bumped against the wall while pulling out a knife and stabbed him through the head with it. She quickly took it out while the rhino guard fell.

Seeing the tiger guard entering the scene, the cheetah assassin threw her blade into the tiger's throat, choking him until he collapsed on the ground.

The wolf guard emerged from behind. Chirea smirked in her mask as she slowed time around her, took out her blade, and rushed over to the wolf. Her blade sliced through him multiple times, bits of blood squirt out of his body. Time went back to its normal speed as she passed by him with ease. Behind her, the wolf fell apart, his limbs detached like broken glass. She breathed heavily as she yanked the knife out of the tiger's throat and kept going through the darkness.

Her orange eyes pierced through her mask as she sprinted through the cargo.

"I want that arranged!" she heard a booming voice as she hid behind the corner of the cargo. She noticed one of the mayor's assistants, who's a cheetah just like her.

Chirea spied on the mayor's assistant, following her stealthy through the dark alleyway as the cheetah assistant and stopped, hearing somebody creeping up to her.

"Ek het gewonder wanneer jy gaan opdaag(I was wondering when you're going to show up)," the cheetah spoke in Chirea's native language, turning around to face the cheetah assassin.

"Jy het geweet ek gaan hier wees(You knew I was going to be here)," Chirea answered back in her native tongue.

A smirk played on the assistant's lips. "Ek het geweet dat jy uiteindelik sou terugkom. Maar jy moet erken dat jy soms 'n bietjie voorspelbaar kan wees(I knew you would eventually come back. But you have to admit that sometimes you can be a little predictable)."

"U moet weet hoekom ek dan hier is(Then you must know why I'm here)," Chirea responded with a laugh.

"Wie u ook al 'n kontrak aangaan, weet net dat meer bloed nooit u vader se dood sal laat verdwyn nie. En ek weet seker dat jy dit ook weet(Whoever you signed a contract with, just know that more blood will never make your father's death disappear. And I'm sure you know that too)," the assistant warned while facing Chirea.

Chirea took out her blade and grinned. "O ek weet. Maar ek en hy het 'n ooreenkoms aangegaan. En ek is bereid om my einde van die winskopie te vervul(Oh, I know. But he and I made a deal. And I'm willing to fulfill my end of the bargain)."

The assistant took out her blade, ready to fight. Chirea was the first to charge towards the assistant, who used her blade to counter-attack the assassin. Their cat eyes bored into each other's as if they're staring into each other's fiery souls. Chirea turned to a complete three-sixty and sliced her blade to the assistant's head, but the assistant ducked and kicked her in the gut, pounding her against the metal cargo.

The cheetah assistant thrusted the blade towards Chirea's head as she flawlessly dodged it by turning on her side on the metal cargo. Chirea kicked the assistant in the gut, giving her enough room to grab the second blade from where it almost stabbed her.

The assistant gasped with widened eyes in shock as Chirea obtained both the blades. With a hidden smirk behind the mask, Chirea charged towards the assassin, swinging the blades but the assistant was able to dodge them without a cut until she grabbed one of the blades by the sharp tip. Chirea sliced her hand, making it bleed as the assistant let out a painful yelp. The assistant didn't hesitate to hit Chirea's mask with her bloody palm to make her stumble. Chirea stumbled back a bit, leaving enough time for the assistant to grab the blade properly this time and kicked her. Chirea was about to collapse into the ground until she recovered with a couple of backflips away from the assistant.

There, again, Chirea stood face to face with the cheetah assistant.

The cheetah assistant cornered a small smirk in amusement while sticking the blade onto the wooden pole. "Jy is vaardig. Ek moet dit aan u vader oorhandig om u die weë van die jagluiperd te leer. Maar ek het gedink jy is meer as 'n masker en lem(You are skilled. I must hand it over to your father to teach you the ways of a cheetah. But I thought you were more than a mask and a blade)."

Chirea twitched her ears as she stuck her blade onto the wooden pole beside her, removing her mask and hood to reveal her face and deadly green eyes. "Ons sal sien(We'll see)."

Chirea dropped her mask and drew out her fists, eyes narrowed at the cheetah assistant. The cheetah assistant was the first to charge towards Chirea, who combated her swiping the assistant's fists and made a direct hit towards the lower jaw. However, the assistant took the impact of it while lifting her leg to smack Chirea in the face. Chirea stumbled back as the assistant got on top of her, hands around the assassin's throat.

"Dit eindig nou, Chirea(This ends now, Chirea)," the assistant snarled at the cheetah assassin.

However, that earned a chuckle from Chirea. "Ek sou nie so sê nie(I would not say so)."

Before the assistant could react, a knife went right through her throat, choking her like she's choking Chirea. Chirea's smirk widened while watching the assistant's trembling eyes looking into her eyes in horror.

"Jy is so teleurstellend vir jou soort(You're such a disappointment to your kind)," Chirea growled as she yanked the knife out of the assistant's throat, causing her to collapse off of her. Chirea shoved the dead assistant off while cleaning her knife with a white cloth. She stood up and picked up her mask to put it back on. When she put it back on, she turned back to the dead assistant with a smirk. 

Chirea exited the scene while picking up the blades placed on the wooden poles. Minutes later, a few more guards found the assistant's body, gasping in fear.

~.~

A few days passed by since the group went into the 'haunted' apartment Nancy claimed to describe. Buster had been in the office, trying to examine everything about the photo he found in his father's secret office. Chirea's young appearance seemed to be a bit familiar but it's all blurry in his memory. In fact, most of the memories he tried his best to reach were all blurry. His recent nightmares didn't make sense. It kept cycling him into a theater, watching his theater friends performed numbers that sounded...broken. And then it ended with him back at the apartment, clashed of something familiar and something not familiar at all. He could remember seeing parts of the apartment he lived with his father but the other apartment that trapped his mother in it.

Buster groaned, now thinking about those dreams to not making any sense while he leaned back against the chair and staring up at the ceiling. Surely looking up at the ceiling will solve all the problems in the world right now. The koala groaned irritably at himself again while rubbing his paws on his broad face.

A soft knock came from the door. Assuming it to be Ms. Crawly, Buster sighed heavily.

"Come in," Buster responded with a groan, not intending it on the old lizard. However, to his surprise, there's a stack of paper walking into the office with tiny legs carrying them.

"I print out extras in case you don't want them, Ms. Crawly," A sweet innocent girl voice spoke behind the stack of papers.

"Oh...uh, I'm not Ms. Crawly," Buster explained awkwardly as the girl's legs wobbled and fell over, papers flying up everywhere.

Buster gasped as the papers fluttered in the air.

"Here, let me help you," Buster insisted as he went and helped pick up the papers scattered around the floor.

"I'm so sorry for being so clumsy," the girl replied apologetically.

Buster glanced up to notice the girl was a koala like him, with blue diamond eyes behind the opaque glasses and blonde bangs that almost covered half of her face, her shiny curly hair shined in the sunlight in a bun. She blushed like crazy in embarrassment while looking away from him.

Buster found that...a bit cute but he shook the thought off. "No, don't be sorry. We all have those days."

He got a closer look at the koala girl to see that she's about the same age as him. The girl koala turned to look at him while looking away in embarrassment. "Yeah...those days happen to be all the time."

"Heh, yeah. But sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad," Buster advises with energy left in his voice. However, he mentally slapped himself in the face for even trying to give good advice to a random stranger. "However, if you are looking for Ms. Crawly, she's further down the hall."

"Oh...I thought that...Oh, I thought that this was her office."

"No...this is my office...didn't you read the sign?" Buster asked in a kind tone but he felt like it came off a tad bit too mean.

"I couldn't see the sign," the girl koala responded while giggling nervously.

"Oh right," Buster recalled, remembering the poor thing couldn't even see behind the stack of papers. "Sorry, I-uh-should've helped you with that."

"Don't worry, it's not like I can't carry one more paper," the girl replied while putting the papers together in perfect order.

Buster cleared his throat. "Are these...the scripts for the music?"

"Oh yeah, I helped compose the music and everything...I hope it turns out okay with Ms. Crawly," the girl commented while adjusting her glasses nervously.

Buster arched a brow. "I think my approval should be the concern. I mean, Ms. Crawly works for me."

"No wonder you got a big office."

"Yeah. What's your name by the way?"

"Maya...Maya Hart," the girl introduced nervously.

Buster put a hand out for her to shake. "Buster Moon."

Maya shook Buster's hand with a friendly smile. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Moon--wait! You're the owner who saved his theater by a singing competition!"

It's Buster's turn to blush while giggling a bit. "Uh...yeah."

"I was going to go but...I had plans with my mother that day," Maya replied.

"Oh, that's a darn shame. I would've love to hear you sing," Buster encouraged.

Maya looked away from the koala shyly. "Uh...I'm not a good singer anyways...Mom says that I don't have much of a talent."

Buster blinked in disbelief. "Really? I bet a girl like you liked to sing in the shower!"

"Yeah...it sounds like a dying goat according to Mom," Maya responded with a sad chuckle.

Buster pondered for a second. "Do you listen to your mother a lot?"

"No! No, I mean, I was, um, I just think that sometimes she's right," Maya stuttered, playing with her strand of hair.

"And you think she's right about your singing voice?"

"Y-Yeah."

Buster rubbed his chin. "Okay, Maya...how would you like to be the first person to audition for a role in a musical?"

Maya had her eyes widened in pure shock and almost terror, a blush to cover her entire face. "Uh-uh-uh, I-uh-I-uh-don't know what time or what-what---I don't know--"

"I'll take that as a maybe," Buster responded in an optimistic voice.

Maya and Buster organized the papers on his huge wooden desk as Buster crawled right back upon his seat and leaned back on the cushion.

Maya smiled at Buster a bit, earning a smile back from him. She exited the room quicker than a normal person would exit his office. In came the lizard lady, Ms. Crawly.

"Oh, Maya?" Ms. Crawly gasped in shock.

"See you later, Ms. Crawly!" Maya waved to Ms. Crawly and Buster. "You too, uh, Mr. Moon!"

"Buster's fine!" Buster called but she was out of earshot by then.

Ms. Crawly turned to notice the papers on the desk. "Ah, there it is."

"Ms. Crawly, where did you meet her?" Buster asked Ms. Crawly gently.

"Oh, I met her when I'm at Roc's Supermarket sometimes. Nice girl. She does a lot of self-publishing for her own books," Ms. Crawly responded with a small smile. "Recently, I asked her if she could help us publish the musical and she said that she will try. Just call and ask. And I got her number."

Buster pondered deeply. "Hmm...was there anything else you know about her? Her home life? Something like that."

"Oh, she lives her mother. Her mother was ill and she's taking care of her temporary," Ms. Crawly explained to Buster.

Buster rubbed his chin. "Temporary?"

"Yes."

Buster pondered about it. "Well, we got the scripts and--"

"Mr. Moon?"

"Yeah?"

Ms. Crawly lowered her head sadly. "Are you still mad at me?"

"Mad at you? No...I mean, no...I--I just wished you told me the truth but...I understand that Dad told you not to. I'm a bit madder at my dad than you to be honest. I wished my dad could...I wished I could just help him," Buster uttered sadly with a heavy sigh.

Ms. Crawly approached by his side. "Mr. Moon, you can't blame yourself for what happened to your father."

Buster took a moment to reflect on himself. Ms. Crawly was right. He shouldn't blame himself for what happened to his father but...he couldn't help but felt like if there's something more he could've done to prevent his father's own suicide. He dried his tears while looking up at the published musical scripts and read through them. "Say, she did a good job on those posters."

"She did the best," Ms. Crawly responded with a smile, happily skipping over the subject since it's too emotional for her to keep talking about it.

"Say, uh, Ms. Crawly, you wouldn't happen to have her number, would you?" Buster asked politely.

Ms. Crawly nodded her head. "Of course, sir."

She took out the card and handed it to the koala that read:

Hart's Residence: 559-467-2803.

Buster smiled a bit while nodding his head. "Thank you, Ms. Crawly."

"Are you thinking about calling her, sir?" Ms. Crawly questioned in curiosity.

"I want to see if I can hire her," Buster responded while pondering deeply. "You know, to help with the publishing area."

Ms. Crawly hid a smirk while rolling her eye. "Whatever you say, Mr. Moon." The old lizard exited the office while Buster was left to ponder.

He dialed the number on the card, taking deep breaths. Why was he so nervous? He's only going to hire her. That shouldn't make any difference. Should it? He listened to the phone ring on the other side.

~.~

Maya's mother was rich beyond reason. Her mother would always go off and work over at the mall while Maya was just stuck in the house. Every once in a while, she snuck out to go to work, to go someplace until she realized that her mother will be home at a certain time. She's off work today as she swept the floor with some thought in mind. Buster Moon.

Just the thought of seeing him again made her blush slightly. His soft blue eyes, his soothing voice to ease her nervousness...wait, no, no, she just met that man. Besides she knew that mother was against it...well, what's a little rebellion gonna hurt? Maya immediately received backlash from that thought since of course, her mother was going to yell at her and...well, she felt like a child even though she knew she's not. Her mother has authority over her life. A phone rang unexpectedly on the phone line. She was hesitant at first to answer until she picked up the phone.

She cleared her throat, trying to impersonate her mother. "Hart's Residence, who's this?"

"Maya?" A familiar gentle voice called through the phone, immediately made her gasp in shock, and dropped the phone off of the coffee table. She froze in place as she recognized the softest voice. "Maya Hart?"

Maya picked up the phone while smiling awkwardly to hide her clumsiness. "Um...this is me."

"Perfect!" Buster's excited tone came from the other side. "How would you like to---uh---shoot...um, how would you like to be hired as a studio publisher?"

Maya blinked for a moment. "Uh...I would--"

"Great! You're hired!"

"Whoa, wait, uh, I had a tight schedule and I, um--"

"Oh, right, gotta do the interview first, sorry, I get ahead of these things. How about you come by my office tomorrow morning?"

Maya shook her head. "I work tomorrow, Mr. Moon."

"Oh...uh, well, what time do you usually work?" Buster asked politely.

"Well...I can't do tomorrow because I work from seven to three and, um, it's going to be like that for a couple of days," Maya responded shyly. "And after work...um, my mother would want me to spend time with her."

There's a tender pause.

"Okay, the spot's open whenever you need to fill it," Buster informed gently. "Also, you did a great job with the scripts and the posters for auditions."

Maya blushed a bit in embarrassment. "Y-You think so?"

"Yeah, I really think so."

"I mean, are you telling me the truth or--?"

"Of course I am...I wouldn't be calling to hire you if I didn't think they're that good," Buster implied in a soft tone.

Maya groaned to herself...he made a good point. "Sorry--"

"No need to apologize, Maya...just...let me know if you ever want to be the publisher," Buster responded.

Maya couldn't help but smile at Buster's words. "Um...sure. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Maya!" Maya heard her mother's cry as she quickly hung up the phone and ran to answer the front door.

"Hey, mother," Maya responded as her mother came in. Her mother was a woman koala wearing a uniform from working at the mall while her dreary green eyes stared at her daughter. "Welcome home."

"Ugh, the mall is so tiring. Today, I saw a lion jumped on this rhino guy during the sales," her mother told the story while shutting the door. "They were fighting for some men's perfume and it's just horrible. Horrible I say. This is why you shouldn't be out there in this disgusting world."

Maya nodded her head in understanding. "Uh, understood, mother."

The world isn't so disgusting, she wanted to say that to her mother but then she'll have to explain why she thinks the world isn't disgusting and this will involve her explaining that she went and saw Buster and gave him the scripts for his musical. So, Maya faked a smile as her mother walked through the house.

"Do you have any pestering calls?" her mother asked her.

"Um...no. Just a normal day...safe in the house," Maya stated with a plastered grin.

Her mother examined her while squinting. "I detect a slight hint of whimsy."

Maya felt nervousness through her veins until her mother smiled.

"I'll allow," her mother responded with a kiss in her blonde curly hair.

Maya let out a discreet sigh in relief while her mother checked herself in the mirror. Maya went with her to continue to ask. "So, um, Mom, I just have a question--"

"Ba, ba, ba, Maya, look into that mirror," her mother demanded softly.

Maya looked into her reflection, glasses to show her blue eyes while her hair was in a bun.

"You know what I see...I see a beautiful smart young lady," her mother complimented.

Maya straightened up with a confident smile.

"Oh, look you're there too," her mother teased with a laugh. "I was just joking, darling!"

Maya's confident smile withered away in a matter of seconds but she pushed the thought aside. "You know, Mom, what if, hypothetically, I go out and look for a job--"

"A job?"

"Yeah, the one that pays extremely well," Maya replied to her mother in excitement.

"Oh, Maya, there's no such thing as a good-paying job," her mother answered while looking into her own reflection, removing the make-up.

"Well, what if it--?"

"Are you going after it?"

Maya paused, careful with her words. "Well--"

"Did someone offer this...hypothetical job?" her mother turned to look at her daughter.

Maya blinked a bit. "Well...yeah but--"

"Maya, Maya, you can't trust people. You know that, don't you?"

"I know, I know--"

"Don't you remember what your father did?" her mother asked her.

Maya sighed heavily. "Mother--."

"He doesn't love you...and he doesn't want you. And...he just left without taking you with him. If someone offers you love...you just...had to know that it's all fake. Because this world is nothing but fake. Alright, dear," her mother replied while turning to her.

Maya sighed again while nodding her head. "Yes, mother."

"Aww, dear," her mother hugged her on her side. "Your mother is the only real one who loves you, okay, dear?"

"Yes, mother."

"Good. Ooh, I got an idea on what to do tonight, we'll cook your favorite stew," her mother skipped off into the kitchen as if she already moved on from the subject.

Maya smiled weakly as she went off to help her mother cook.

~.~

Milla had spent a few nights with Nana Noodleman which felt luxurious. Every once in a while, she'll serve despite Nana's insistence for her not to. Eddie visited her, knowing that she's safe as long as she's with Nana.

However, she felt like she's grown closer to Eddie and Nana. More specifically, Eddie. Her heart would skyrocket every time the sheep checked in on her or was even feet away from her. At this point, she couldn't deny her feelings in front of Nana while playing checkers with her in the morning in the lounge room.

"This is more fun playing with you than my servants," Nana whispered a compliment, earning a giggle from Milla.

"Well, it's nice to play a game and chat. Even though, I'm not winning," Milla pointed out that Nana had the upper hand.

"My dear, it takes practice," Nana responded with a small smile. "Besides, having you here is fun. How long will you stay?"

"I-uh-don't know. I'll get out as soon as I--"

"Pish posh, dear, I was only asking out of curiosity," Nana reassured Milla. "You can stay as long as you want."

"Oh...thanks, Ms. Noodleman--"

"Nana, dear."

"Right! Sorry."

"Oh, don't apologize. You were only trying to be formal and that I can appreciate," Nana answered with a gentle smile at the snow leopard. "However, it's getting to the point where formalities are useless."

Milla pondered about her next move, strategizing the old sheep. "Yeah, I guess. I thought it's better if I address people formally."

"You are a very polite girl," Nana responded with a grin.

The doorbell rang again as Milla perked her koala ears up in excitement.

"I think that's Eddie--"

Milla rushed off, leaving Nana to giggle at this 'young love' forming in front of her eyes.

Milla hurried to the entrance of the door while seeing Eddie enter. The floors were polished that she slipped right into Eddie, knocking them both down in the process.

"Ow! Are you okay?" Eddie asked Milla urgently.

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't realize the floors are slippery," Milla remarked with a nervous chuckle as they both realized that she was on top of him, her hand on his racing heart in his chest. Their eyes were widened comically while blushing madly.

Milla noticed the flowers trampled on by both her and Eddie's weight. "Oh gosh! I didn't know you're giving flowers to Nana. I didn't mean to--"

"Actually...uh, the flowers are for you," Eddie responded while giving the trampled roses to the snow leopard.

Her heart went faster than he did as her face reddened and hesitantly received a bouquet of trampled flowers. "Oh...uh, I, uh, thanks."

Eddie chuckled a bit. "Uh, yeah, it's no problem. I mean...I found them outside of Nana's house and thought of, uh, you know, you. I mean, you remind me of those roses...before they were trampled--or, wait, uh, the roses reminded me of you before they were trampled by polished floors--ugh, I messed up--"

"No, you didn't. I mean, I ran without realizing the floors were polished. Um...thank you."

"It's no problem."

Nana watched from the doorway, chuckling at all of their stutters and their words mixed in with confusion. She sipped her tea with a small relaxed smile on her face.

Eddie and Milla got up from the polished floor, with a few stares and giggles thrown at each other.

"So, how are you doing?" Eddie asked her.

"I've been doing okay. It's so comfortable here," Milla responded while looking around the house.

Eddie walked with her through the grand entrance. "Yeah, it's much more comfortable than being in some poolhouse."

"I didn't mind staying at your poolhouse since it has a gym," Milla stated with a small smile.

Eddie nodded his head. "Yeah. Yeah."

"Speaking of the gym, want to work out sometime? You know, since you work out too," Milla asked with a little wink.

Eddie scratched the back of his head with a blush. "Uh...yeah...just...don't overwork me."

"I won't. We'll start slow," Milla responded with a happy grin.

~.~

Five days later, the posters for auditions were up everywhere now. And the people walking by the posters saw it with awe and hope-filled in their eyes. The limit was a hundred people as they showed up at the Moon Theater, ready for their positions. Rosita wasn't still feeling well but at least she could walk again unlike a couple of days ago. She was in the audience row with Buster next to her and Gunter sitting near her.

"Alright, let's get this started...who's first? Ah, Manual, you go," Buster encouraged while looking up at the ferret.

"To Be or Not to Be, that is the question. Whether tis the mind to suffer. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune--"

While the ferret gave a monologue for familiar ears, Buster and Rosita glanced at each other while Buster wrote down on the piece of paper on the clipboard.

~.~

"Turn hellhound, turn!" one of the possums demanded in a script turn and fake sword out. The other turned with a candy in his mouth and played dead on stage.

Buster clenched his teeth nervously, hoping that was part of the performance until another possum dropped onto the floor, playing dead on stage.

Both Rosita and Gunter glanced at each other, anticipating what's to come. However, Buster sighed heavily and marked down the notes.

~.~

The hundred people did a decent job, although, Buster was a bit exhausted from looking at all the auditions. His notes were detailed while Rosita's were more structured and how to cast certain people.

"I think that's all of them, Mr. Moon," Rosita uttered with a yawn.

Buster nodded his head with a yawn. "Okay...I think we'll just...continue tomorrow. Everyone, you're dismissed!"

The auditioners dismissed themselves in the theater as Buster leaned back against the seat.

"Well," Rosita began to explain. "I think that we can--"

As Rosita explained the instructions on what she thinks they should do next, Buster became lost in thought. Looking up on that stage brought back the nightmares he'd been having. The theater no longer felt like a good memory of him and his father...it's as if the theater brought nothing but the misery that killed his father. His once bright dream became a horrific nightmare. He kept seeing pieces of his life play on the stage and he could never unsee them.

"Mr. Moon?" Rosita broke through the silence.

Buster blinked a bit while looking at Rosita and Gunter. "Yes?"

"Um...did you hear what I said?" Rosita asked.

Buster nodded his head. "Yeah, I heard everything."

The koala didn't hear everything the mother pig stated as he got up from his seat and quickly shut himself away in his office. He sat in his office chair, breathing deeply.

A light knock came from his office door five minutes later.

"Mr. Moon?"

Buster heard Rosita's sweet motherly voice. "Come in."

The mother pig opened the door gently while noticing him trying to process all the information coming at him at once. "Are you busy?"

"No, what's up?"

"Well...Gunter told me about your situation...with the cheetah," Rosita spoke softly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah...everything is fine."

"Do you know why she wants your theater?"

Buster sighed heavily. "I don't know. She said my father was a crook and well...she just wanted it because it's supposed to be hers or whatever. I made a musical so that she knows that I work for the theater but...I'm not sure if this will work. I want this to work...I want to prove my worth of having this theater."

"I believe you worked hard--"

"I know you do but she doesn't. And...I'm not sure of anything anymore." Buster sighed again. "I wished my Dad was here."

Rosita smiled sweetly. "I know. He must have been a great father."

"I thought so...but...he did something that caused this cheetah to be mad and I thought she's going to kill me. But she's killing me slowly and I can't ever get out of this. I don't know if I can even get out of this alive."

Rosita pondered while scooching next to Buster. "You know, this cheetah doesn't know you as we do. She doesn't know who you are inside and you, sir, are a great man. Your father did a wonderful job of raising you. You don't have to face this battle alone. We're right with you to help you too. You helped us with our problems...let us help you with yours. Besides, you might not know it, but this theater didn't just change your life...it changed ours too. Our dreams built this theater. And we have you to thank for that, Mr. Moon."

Buster listened to what the mother pig was saying to him. He took in her words and smiled softly at her. "Thank you, Rosita."

Rosita smiled gently back at the koala. "No problem, Mr. Moon."

To Be Continued...