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Beachy times.

~~colche has a chat to Ambrose down the beach~~ ((will colour code later ^^"!))

She had spent a good few days curled up in her bed, feeling generally sick, tired and just nyeh, if there was any such word. She decided there had to be 'cause there was no other way to describe how she felt. One of the lab techs had come and helped her out after she had apparently 'feinted' that was the word he had used. She had hoped for Aubrey, but she must have been busy. Either way, she had been put to bed, fed something which tasted remarkably like chicken, but in liquid form, given a couple of oral pain killers and told to relax.

And relax she had, her head had hit the pillow and she had slept for more than twenty fur hours, not that she knew it, her passage of time was quite primary, she didn't know what day of the week it was, what month, or even the year, they were things that didn't matter.

Today was the first day she had decided she felt, well enough to roll out of bed and potter out down the beach. She wasn't hungry, which was a rare thing in itself but she was feeling better and the bleeding seemed to have stopped, which was a plus side.

The watery sounds of the waves flushed across her hearing as she approached and she took a deep, long, salty breath absorbing the day through her sensitive nostrils. As usual, it was beautiful out and her long legs took the short run on to the pale sands in less than a second, her trackshoe like claws sinking in to the moving sands, the grains intermingling with her fur. That long tail flickered and twitched in it's usual catty manner and she gave a grin closely followed by a giggle as her senses were pummeled by the breath of the sea.

: How she loved the beach, it was pure freedom for her. Taking to her heel she bolted down the sands her thick, compact muscles surging that slender tawny spotted body down the beach only coming to a halt when she hit the waves with a salty splash. Another beautiful day.

Colche wasn't the only one who had decided that it was time to visit the beach. Ambrose, likewise, after eating alone and rather awkwardly after his chat with Sid, decided that perhaps the fresh salty air might be just what he needed to clear his head. Things felt so dark... eerie despite the bright sunshine of the tropical island.

The story of the murder had gotten to him... even if Ambrose swore that he would never be like that. That he could best the mental changes.

He strolled down the path to the beach, not in a hurry, and trying to let the warm sun on his back lift him out of his frightening thoughts. The sand, the sparkling sun on the sea... it would help.

He shook, trying to physically loosen some of his burdens as he stepped out onto the hot sands, thankful for his thick pads to lessen the heat that they had been absorbing all day.

Lifting his muzzle, he took a deep breath of the sea air and.... Colche? His ears priced as he looked across the beach and saw a familiar spotty female.

A wag was almost immediately in his tail. Some things, it seemed, never changed underneath it all. Colche always seemed to be happy, optimistic. And impossible to be around her and not cheered.

With a grin, and indulging in a harmless lupine instinct, Ambrose dropped to all fours and bounded towards her, intent on a friendly tackle.

Colche was thoroughly absorbed in the sighs of the sea and only heard Ambrose when he was almost upon her, she turned quickly, her nose wrinkling in that ever lasting smile "Ambrose!" she called taking a few swift steps up the beach to greet the wolf man, her arms open wide.

Of course, the little cheetah girl didn't fail to notice that he had changed, he was more doggish than ever, though she wasn't surprised, she knew full well she had changed a lot too, she was as far from human now a she would ever be.

The tawny femme had always refused to let go of her love for everyone though, where some would probably think a charging wolf man scary the catty girl simply grinned, bent and wrapped her arms around Ambrose's neck becoming a furry blue eyed necklace with sounds. "Notseeninforeverambrose" she chattered out in to his fur burying her nose in to his now thickly furred shoulders.

Ambrose leaped into her embrace, wrapping his own arms about her, his tail wagging furiously behind him as he greeted his long-absent friend.

"COLCHE!" He exclaimed, not holding back the fervent licking at her face. "How have you been? It HAS been forever! Have you been making new friends? Visiting the beach? Watching the DVDs I showed you?" Colche's enthusiasm was quite contagious, and Ambrose was eager to focus on the bright sun and smiling Cheetah girl than the thoughts that he had dwelled on earlier.


Colche gave a little giggle, she didn't think Ambrose would be so happy to see her, she reminded him happily of a big fuzzy dog, Balto maybe, she would ponder on that one, for now he would just be Ambrose the silly doggy! Grinning brightly she nodded Pulling slightly away from the still blond haired ambrose her bright baby blue eyes knowing the face, the features, the personality despite the changes.

Reaching up a careful paw like hand she pulled gently one of Ambrose's ears and grinned "I likes the ears." She giggles. For a long time she had wanted to speak to someone who had always known her, who would notice things had changed, that she could peak, she could understand, maybe not as well as everyone else but much better than she used to

"I haves a teacher" she smiled sweetly, she hadn't seen Josh for a few days she wondered wistfully where the man was, she hoped he was alright. "Lots of new peoples Ambrose, island getting lots" she scrunched her nose, no that wasn't the right word but it would have to do because she couldn't spend all day trying to fish a word from her vocabulary.

Of course her mind switched to another subject entirely. "Is, did angelina says the yes like Cinderella? An sleepin' beauty an belle and jasmine huh?" she beams, she of course meant were Angelina and Ambrose to be wed, it truly had been a long time since she had spoken to the wolfish man, the last time she had seen him was with the ring catalogue, it seemed like a life time ago.

Ambrose gave Colche a bashful grin, feeling up at his pricked ears after she tugged on them. "Thank you... they... well, the better to hear you with." Ambrose responded, unable to pass on the joking reference.

"And I'm glad... you look happy, and well, Colche. You told me about your 'learny man' your teacher?" She was even using the proper term. Even the few sentances she had spoken showed that she had been learning a lot in the time since he had last seen her. "He must be a very nice teacher, Colche. You sound like you have been learning a whole lot."

He sat down on the ground, tail thumping against the packed sand. "Yess... yes she did, Colche! We are going to get married.... sometime! I don't know when just yet, we.... will probably have to wait until we can get things we need from the labs... like a dress and a suit that fit us.."

He rubbed his hand against the side of her cheek with a smile. "And of course we'll want you to be there. Perhaps you can be the flower girl? Angelina and I thought that that would be darling for you. You would spread flowers along the walkway of the wedding.... whenever it might be."

Colche giggled, she knew the reference. "not big bad wolf Ambrose" she stated with a little purr, nudging his chin with her nose. "I like um they purty" she stated her sweet blue eyes looking over the now very canine man, he didn't look anything like a big bad wolf to her, he just looked like sweet wonderful Ambrose, her big brother.

Of course, when ambrose mentioned Josh she looked a little bashful, Colche had slowly started to become the young lady she was supposed to be, shy around boys she liked and even embaressed to speak about them sometimes. "Josh very good she whispered her ears twitching in a rather unusual way.

Of course, she was happy of thesubject change, her face breaking in to an even larger grin, if that was even physically possible "Yay!" she giggled clinging to Ambrose cheerfully. "Yesyes, I be flower girl, I likes it lots" she purrs, imagineing the big frilly dress and the music and how nice it would be and the cake. How did her mind always go back to cake? "Make soon okies, not had happy party for ages 'n' forever."

Ambrose smiled. "Well good... I am glad that you don't think I'm like the big bad wolf... despite appearences." Ambrose said, feeling his cheeks burning as his ears flicked at her compliments.

The grin spread across his mouth at her demure mention of Josh. "Oh is he..? I am glad that he is good. That he is nice to you. It sounds like... you and he have been getting along quite nicely."

"And Good! You will be the flower girl~! And you will be very pretty. I want it to be special, nice dresses, flowers, music.... Father Stewart will be the minister... it just.... I don't know when we will be able to have it. I want to have it soon, too... but it all depends on the labs and Aubrey. And I Know that she has been.... busy." He put it delicately.

Colche giggled, she honestly couldn't imagine ambrose being any sort of big bad anything, he just looked too puppy like to her. He looked like the same old chivalrous Ambrose with his sweet eyes and kind words.

Nodding gently at his mentions of Josh she sighed gently, she had told few people about her 'crush' on her teacher, would Ambrose even understand? "I likes him alots" she smiles, carefully. Tip toeing around that particular subject, she wasn't sure if she wanted to tell anyone else.

With a little sigh the little cheetah girl gave a stubborn nod "Aubrey very busy" she stated a little more sadly than she meant to. She missed Aubrey. But she was busy, she knew that. Still, refusing to stay in any sort of saddened mode for any length of time the blue eyed femme allowed a smile to creep across her features again "It happen soons, it be much funs" she coos her tail flickering and swaying in the sand as she allowed that over active imagination to wander on princess like weddings in big castles, sure theyw ere on an island but she was pretty sure it would still be amazing.

Ambrose, not quite catching what she fully meant by 'likes him lots', and thus avoiding the issue with her big brother wolfman, Ambrose merely nodded with a smile, intrepreting it as a natural affection and thankfulness for his instruction and perhaps patient manners. Ambrose still had a difficult time imagining Colche as anything but a perpetual child. While she was learning, and no doubts bright, the thought of her in a relationship or anything mildly physical or sexual seemed... disturbing to Ambrose. And thus, seeing her as his little sister just seemed to summarize their relationship to a tee.

"Yes... Aubrey has been very busy. She.." Did Colche know about her time away from the labs? Her exile? Should he even worry her about all of that? "has been.... tired." That might be a good way to put it. Tired of being controlled, tired of being caught between a rock and a hard place.... but even taken literally, tired seemed to summarize how Aubrey had been last Ambrose had seen her. And hearing about how Alec and Tommy had threatened her.... it was just wrong. He wanted to yell at them that they were fools for attacking the one person at the labs with a conscience. That they would go leaps and bounds further appealing to her as opposed to attacking her... Tommy, he had just seen in the cafeteria a few days previously and spoken to about fencing. He seemed like such a nice person..... But then, Ambrose remembered his early days on the island... where he sought any way to get off. Would he ever have been able to take such an extreme measure..?

He shook his head and returned his attention to Colche's clear, blue eyes. "It will be very pretty. I just know it. And no matter when it is, or what we can and can't get.... it will be wonderful."

Colche nodded sagely, perhaps it was lucky that she didn't know about the exile, or what had been happening at the labs, or that someone else had threatened her mother figure. Perhaps it was better that she never found out these few details, after all what would she do with them? Colche's heart was certainly not in to confronting people, she wouldn't even know how to shout at someone whom had threatened the person whom had cared for her in those early days of her life here on the island. "Mommy be okay right Ambrose?" her brow creased slowly, it was a question that's he almost wished she hadn't asked, the wolf mans tone didn't exactly bring any light to the situation that the brown haired woman was in. That didn't stop her from worrying about her though.

"It be wonnerful no matters whats Ambrose" she purrs.

Ambrose nodded, stroking her thick black hair away from her face. "Yes... yes she is going to be just fine." From what Ambrose heard, that was the truth. Physically, at least. As far as what had happened since she was whisked away to the inside of the labs again... he could only guess.

"And thank you... I think that you are right. How could it not be? No... scratch that... no matter what happens, when I wed Angelina, it will be wonderful."

Taking a deep breath colche forced the thoughts from her mind, there was no point dwelling, if she lived in the past there was no room fro now and for playing. A cheeky look crossed those furry features and in a flash she turned and scooped her paw in to the cool salty water splashing ambrose. She grinned and hopped away her ears perking forwards, a challenge in those deep watery blue eyes.

Her tongue peered out between her lips and she giggled "Wan race Ambrose? I win!" she grins broadly, she refused to live in a perpetual depression, she wanted to play, to have fun, to live for this life she loved so much. There were worse things in life, she knew.

Ambrose spluttered at the sudden splash to the face, his ears flattening to the sides and a rueful grin spreading across his face in a playful manner. "Oh, you'll pay for that." He teased, back on his feet and bounding after her into the shallows.

A simple game, tag and catch and splashing about appealed to him on a very basic level - it was fun, it was a game between friends... between packmates. He didn't need to think too hard on it, or worry. It was just fun at its most basic level.

The water certainly served to slow the bounding wolfman down, but he didn't care as he sloshed after Colche with a mock growl.

"Eek!" she giggles bending in to the water to send a flurry of water allover the big wolf man before she dodged a little deeper. She was getting very wet her ears were sodden and her tawny and black fur sparkled with little clear blue droplets.

This big sweet blue eyes watched the wolf man as he smiled and growled playfully. She had never heard that sound before, she wondered if she could make a sound like that, she couldn't ponder for too long though as Ambrose's sloshing about soaked her from head to foot.

It didn't stop her smiling though "eep!" she pounces at him wrapping her furry arms around his neck with a giggle "you gets very wet too!" she quips releasing him so she could shake her fur out, scattering him with tiny droplets and giving herself that extremely fuzzy look for a long moment before her fur flattened slowly. "heeh"

Ambrose kept bounding after her, sending water splashing as he moved through the water. But it was a fun game, and he didn't mind getting soaked with the salt water. Nothing a nice long shower wouldn't fix, at least.

Finally, she stopped, after having thoroughly soaked her even if he hadn't quite caught her, and laughed as she shook herself dry, much as he often got the inkling to do. In fact, in playful retribution, Ambrose stood up on his hind legs to expose more of himself to the air, and gave a violent shake of his whole body, his long fur trapping more of the water in, and sending it spraying, all over the smaller cheetah girl.

He stopped afterwards, a lolling grin and a pant, his tail slowly wagging. "Not as wet as you are now." He retorted, and then turned quickly, bounding away with a glance over his shoulder.

"ACK!" Colche protested, now more wet than ever after the wolfy mans assault on her slender figure "AMBROSE!" She protested running after him, those long slender legs eating up the gap between them in no time before she pounced on his back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her laughter filling the air. "Silly!" she purrs nudging his ears with her nose as she clung to the large wolfish male.

She clung to him for a long while before rolling off towards the sand where she sat with the water lapping at her toes. "Is purty here Ambrose, I love home"

Ambrose's tail wagged enthusiastically, whapping against her legs as she hugged him. He turned his head and gave her face a long lick. "You got me!" He cried dramatically, flopping onto his side in the water, drenching both of them.

Finally, he stood up again, stretched, and took a few steps away before shaking himself dry. Then, putting an arm around her shoulder, he walked back to the beach with her. "It IS pretty.... there is no denying that. And.. it is good to have you here, Colche."

Colche sighed softly, curling up in to her big brother satisfied, a little damp, but the weather would sort that out soon enough. "Glad I has everyone, home, safe, happy." She smiles nudging Ambrose's shoulder with her nose "I glad ta be here" she giggles with a replete sigh as she watched the sea for another few moments in silence. Of course, said silence was quite abruptly interrupted by a rather loud rumble, it seemed her appitite had come back with the sea air. She grinned "come for eats?"

Ambrose was enjoying the moment. It was uncomplicated, and well expressed by Colche's simple statement. Things sometimes, for all the bad that was on the island, could be very right, and leave him quite happy.

"I'm glad you're here too... and." Ambrose paused. was he glad to be here..? Angelina was here... the friends he had made here were a dozen times as valuable to him as the other friends he had back home. The 'family' group he had here more loving.... but... still, despite everything... despite the width and breadth of the island, Ambrose knew he wasn't free... that at a few words or push of a button he could be unconscious. With the whim of Moreau he could turn into a beast in the mind. No... he wasn't happy to be here.... but... " I am happy to be here with you now, Colche." That much was true.

He gave her a smile at the mention of food. He hadn't eaten much after his talk with Sid, and his stomach now growled enthusiastically after the excercize. "That sounds great, Colche." He pushed himself to a stand and offered her his hand.

Off in to the wilderness

She had met many new islanders recently, some of them were friendly, well most of them actually but she had found herself not seeking them out. The lust to be around people was dwindling, her wont to stay in the 'pack' which the islanders formed as a whole was slowly slipping away. Her meetings with people made her happy, she enjoyed attempting to strike up a conversation but it never worked properly. She was slowly accepting she would never be like everyone else. Her dreams had slowly slipped away in to the abyss and now all she had left was this intense longing to wander about alone.

This had mainly started due to her racing the world. A trip around the whole island, she had run all day stopping when she was tired but had made a loop around the whole place alone. It had been nice, more than nice she had enjoyed it, she had laughed alone and had not felt the urge to seek anyone out to join her on her escapade, even the fact that she was 'racing' against no one hadn't bothered her. She had been alone and something inside her had clicked and now she wished to find a place where she could run an open place where no one went, to sleep in the sun. To rest under the moon. The island was warm enough for that after all.

Christmas day came though Colche did not know it; the islands humidity never said anything about winter, snow or anything else. So it rolled in with her in a state of oblivion and with a shock to her system, a confirmation to escape. The sun had barely risen when she woke, and the scent of blood filled her nose. She could faintly remember chasing her rabbit around her duplex the poor creature hadn't had a chance. It lay a torn up carcass at the foot of her bed and she sobbed a tear for the beast. Her friend for the longest time, her little creature. Her bunny was one of the few things that now dragged her back to this place, held her firmly with her duplex. She licked her lips dry blood cacked her muzzle and she shook her head. She wanted to eat the little creature; she knew even that she should. It was prey and she, though small, was certainly a predator.

Slipping from the messed sheets she padded silently to the door opening the door just a crack she slipped out, she didn't even notice the present which had been left on her door step, a shell painted by Cody. She leapt from her duplex, standing away from the place she had called home, her ears perked forwards her huge baby blue eyes strained with the tears that refused to fall. Shaking her head, her jet black hair fell around her, a waterfall of jet black locks highlighted as the sun rose on the horizon. Her cattish eyes slowly undiluted, her pupils becoming slits as she watched the world become deep orange with the beautiful rising sun. She stood tall; her lips still for a change, no smile graced her sweetly furry features. She was a cheetah, those long tear marks highlighting the somber mood of the moment. Her long tail twitched at the very tip, her legs slightly splayed and as the sun finally kissed her whole body, warmed that tawny and black fur, she broke in to a run. She would head away from here. Away from what she had done, she would listen to the cheetah and be what she had become. The lone cheetah padding across the savannah, there was no savannah here, she knew that, but there were places where people just didn't seem to go.

She was a cheetah, she was nothing else, and she would never be like everyone else. She could accept that. Finally she could accept that.

The door of Number seventeen opened slightly with a gust of wind. All her belongings, all the things she loved, abandoned to the world. She couldn't be a little girl forever, the princess in curls and gowns, she couldn't be a child forever, she was a cheetah now and those things cheetahs didn't need. Her bed lay messed, the small torn carcass of her rabbit at the end of her bed, her final link to the world she had finally grown up in.

Darkness kissed the horizon as she pulled the first chunk from the creature she had killed. Her deep blue eyes slowly followed her own actions as she slowly pulled the thickly bristled hair away. Her pupils widened as the light started to fade beneath the trees, so far her claws had done all the work, pulling away the skin which hindered her small muzzle, but now that the scent of iron filled her lungs she lowered her head and tugged roughly at the fatty flesh beneath. The boar was young, tender, and flabby as all youngsters were and she ate heartily, caring not for the blood which soaked down through her golden pelt.

It was some time before she was full and she abandoned the torn and mangled carcass t slip in to the cool crystalline pool. She guessed there were probably fish in here, but she was big enough not to be eaten by anything below the waters. Hopefully? Shaking her head her small curled ears perched forwards as she lapped at the refreshing tide of the pool. Blood from her chin tainting the waters.

A little smile played on her lips as she half dove in to the water. Unlike a real cheetah Colche loved the water, it was something that she would probably never loose, after all, it was fun to swim and to wash, even if her fur did take forever to dry, with the sun fading fast she wasn't in the water long before she clambered out and shook her whole body, taking on the appearance of a fluffy kitten for a moment before she sat by the water and groomed her fingers of water, cleaning them of the blood which was slowly staining her claw like hands.

The moon rose sharp and clear in her little clearing and her deep blue eyes watched it's reflection in the pool. She shivered just a little, a cool nights breeze rustling her slightly damp fur, her long black hair always took so long to dry. She faintly remembered a life time ago being offered a hair cut. She had only felt confused by it though she could understand now why women kept their hair short, it dried quicker. Still, not to worry, it would dry soon enough, the night was cool but it was not cold. She had been through worse than this; at least it wasn't raining after all!

It was then as she silently contemplated life, its meanings and excessively long hair that a creature rustled its way through the trees and in tot he clearing. She expected another pig, but she was to be proven wrong. A little cat? Yes it was some sort of cat thing made its way straight to her kill! She hissed at it her blue eyes narrowing and her tail lashing. A lion could take her prey, a group of jackals certainly and there was no way in the nine levels of hell that she'd be found facing a hyena but a little cat couldn't have what was hers!

The creature didn't run though, it continued on towards the ragged meat, bold as Brass. Colche's brow furrowed "hey! S'mine!" She protested another hiss rolling over her lips as she watched the little beast dig in to her meat. She humped softly her tail lashing as she made her way back towards the torn up creature that was her kill. "Belongs ta me that!" she growled in her throat and yet the creature still didn't move. Sitting up she couldn't help but simply watch the small cat like thing as it ate from her meal. "cheeky, S'mine that is" she mumbled and pouted, she'd had enough of killing things for one day, there was no need to kill the cat thing, it was just cleaning up her mess after all. Sighing heavily she watched it her arms crossed. "I’m a scary predtor yanno?" the creature didn't respond its nose deep in the boar. "I.." She was about to protest again but gave it up as a bad job. She wasn't scary, she was a weak predator, even the little cat thing wasn't frightened of her. Sighing she slipped back to where she had been resting, the long grass shielding her body from view. She didn't ant to be a scary predator, she just knew she was simply a predator. She had to kill to eat, to kill for any other reason made her uncomfortable, she knew what a murderer was, and she wasn't one of them. She was a predator, that didn't mean she had to be feared...

Jordan had dared to venture outside earlier in the morning, since it seemed more likely not to run into anyone. The young man was becoming uncomfortable around the subjects, not for the fact of what was happing in the project, but because his interactions weren’t bringing him more than strife. He was responsible for his own actions, but it seemed his actions in the company of the subjects was causing him to act unprofessionally in moments of weakness and that was how he’d been punished by Doctor Moreau. And his last meeting went terribly. He’d just been seeking some quiet time on the beach, but that had been too much to ask for.. he was still sore from the cow’s hooved kick to the crotch.

He’d wanted to burn off some of his aggressions in the workout room. He’d never set foot in it, but it was what he needed, Jordan resolved. It meant going through the jungle and passing through the village as well, but at this early hour he’d be fortunate not to run into anyone. He wasn’t going to last too long if he didn’t find a way to vent his frustrations in a healthy way. He already knew he wouldn’t last on his own without Doctor Moreau’s assistance. Working out would be a way to keep Jordan out of trouble and on the right path to getting into the doctor’s good favor.

Unfortuately, things don’t always go as planned. A cry from the jungle and very close to his position. It was unmistakably a cheetah’s cry, when they’re lost or scared and calling out for another cheetah. Jordan had thought about ignoring it and moving along, but his conscience wouldn’t allow him to. With a groan, he wiped his hand across his face and sped off towards the crying… and then it stopped?! Crap.. He ran double-time. Even if it was difficult to do so in pants, Jordan ran. Some poor animal was injured.

Of course, this was not what he expected to see…. No, definitely not what he wanted to see. It was a cheetah alright… just… it was one of the island’s subjects- and the cheetah had been attacked alright, by a nasty-looking boar. There was no time to think, to react, nor to hesitate. It was his responsibility to take care of this himself.

With the only thing he could use to distract the boar, Jordan took off his right sneaker and threw it at the boar. Well... that wasn’t too smart… the cheetah was no longer the focus of the boar’s attention, but now Jordan was…

It.. worked?! Jordan was surprised by the boar’s hasty retreat. He was afraid that he’d have an angry, rampaging beast on gunning for him, but it would have been justified to stop the attack. Jordan was grateful that it hadn’t charged him. He quickly collected his shoe and knelt by Colche. Her faint chirp worried him more. What happened to her? He was naked in the middle of the jungle. This was new as the others he’d met still wore clothes in their advanced stages, provided they still could. Maybe she was one of those? Luckilly, her long black hair kept her somewhat modest in his presence.

“Miss, can you hear me? Are you alright?” he shook her shoulder while he spoke in a loud, firm voice. His first thought was to check her pulse, taking her wrist in his grasp. There was still a heartbeat. Good. He was hesitant to move her, but he did so, only to shift the cheetah onto her side, to keep her from choking. He held her head level in leui of anything to prop it up.

“Please be alright.” He whispered to himself, patting her cheek gently. It was dangerous and foolish, but he couldn’t let her sleep in case she’d suffered head injury. He leaned his ear close to her muzzle to listen for her breath. It was faint but her chest was rising and falling.

He cursed loudly as he was afraid she was going to die if he didn’t do anything. She would be too heavy for him to move unconscious alone. He rolled her onto her back and sighed. “Please let this work…” the thought finished in his mind and please don’t let her bite my face off…

He parted her muzzle and administered CPR in hopes that she would regain consciousness.

Worry had filled his mind, but suddenly there was a response. He backed off from her enough to give her some space. He’d be shocked to find some strange person nearby had he been in her position. Calmly, Jordan stepped back a few feet, nodding to her question. “Yes, piglett’s gone.” He’d remembered the Winnie the Pooh reference from his childhood, but even if he hadn’t pork is pork.

Jordan stood ready to help out as soon as he was certain that she wouldn’t lunge at him in a hostile frenzy. The muttered words of pain made him take a step forward, but he was cautious to stop himself after one. “Are you going to be alright, miss?” he asked when she looked up and he tried to remain stoic, even though the cheetah girl with her tongue sticking out from her mouth was very cute. He couldn’t allow himself to smirk or even giggle in the event it would cause her to lash out.

When she moves and squeaks in pain again, he can’t just stand idly by and let her cry. She was in obvious pain and she wouldn’t get very far on her own. Jordan knelt down beside her, on the side that appeared more bruised than the other leg. “Please, don’t be afraid. I’m going to help you.” He said softly, taking her arm and wrapping it around her shoulder. “On the count of three, I’m going to help you up and we’ll get you home.” He reassured her with a genuine smile. Though he was hardly fearless in the situation, it was amazing. He felt like a rescue ranger in one of the many wildlife documentaries he’d seen over the years.

“One… Two….Three…” and with that he pushed himself up, doing his best to raise the cheetah as well. He knew this would hurt for a moment, but with him taking up the slack on her bad side, they could manage. At least he hoped.

“Why don’t you want to go back to the village? That is where you live, isn’t it?” he glanced down at her limp ankle. He couldn’t leave her out here and he didn’t know where else she could go if not for the village. It made him wince with as the thought of any injured animal made him cringe. She was desperate to be anywhere but the village. What had happened to make her so afraid? That wasn’t his business and he didn’t inquire further, but something had to be done. She obviously needed medical attention.

With a heavy sigh he resigned not to fight her and backtracked away from the village. “It’s going to be alright. We’ll get you somewhere safe.”