Clueless Moments [Skye/Open]

[Delilah Harper]

I'll keep smiling for everyone!

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Oh dear, where am I? she thought to herself with a little bit of fear. Delilah found herself at on a mountain and she really didn't recall how and why she got here. The only thing that made sense to her was that she was so deep in thought that she didn't even realize where she was going. Thinking and walking wherever was a normal thing for Delilah to do. Sitting in her head wasn't always the smartest thing for her to do, especially, since she thinks about having a child all the time. Now, all she had to do was get out of the Menagerie, get the gift from God to have children, then have sex with her husband. It sounded like a very simple solution for a very complicated plan. For starters, she was never getting out of this hellhole to begin with. Next, God will never grant her the gift of fertility so she was pretty much screwed on that account. Next, her husband is the bastard who sent her here so there was no way he would take her back. All she had in this place was, herself.

Looking around, she was pretty high up the mountain with not much room to walk with. Mountains are definitely not the place to be when you are distracted by your thoughts. Dawning on her, she realized that she wasn't even in the Fallen territory. From what she figured, she was pretty much screwed on finding her way back because she had no idea where she came from. Sighing to herself, she started to walk down the trail of the mountain. It was pretty odd that there was a trail here but she didn't really think on it too hard because she definitely didn't want to think of how she might of been climbing up the mountain and had to risk herself going down the mountain. That wouldn't be fun at all, now would it?

Another realization dawned on this poor woman again. She was all alone in the Menagerie with no friends or family. No mother, no father, no husband, no friends, and worst of all, no children. Delilah still prayed as hard she could to God to grant her to have a baby. From what she concluded in her head, she didn't even care who the father was. All she wanted in life was to have a baby and that was all that was going to happen. Her wavy golden blonde shoulder length hair blew in the wind as she felt the breeze come in. Delilah didn't even realize how far up the mountain she walked until just not. Looking down from the mountain, it was a pretty scary thought to fall. Feeling too frightened, she moved as far as should could from the edge and too the wall of the mountain. At least that would keep her safe

Thirty minutes rolled by and she was about three fourths down the mountain now. Feeling exhausted, she sat down on the ground of the mountain and breathed deeply for breath. This was a nonstop walk so it was only a matter of time before she got tired. Looking around her, it was actually a really amazing sight to see from way up here on the mountain. Delilah was just grateful at least something was this beautiful in this place. Her emerald green eyes examined the background as she said to herself, "Well, at least I got something out of this trip..."

Even though I'm crying for me.

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[teagan]

Teagan

You want my heart? Here, take it. My life? Yours to command. My soul? Yours to abuse... And in the end I will forgive you for it.

The day was pleasant, despite the recently cold weather the Keepers had dumped on the Menagerie. Light from the sun shimmered through the glass dome and danced upon the ground below, taking the biting chill out of the air. The temperature was cool, but not frigid, and the soil below lacked the permafrost that had layered the earth. Anything green took this valuable chance to shake off the rime and collect as much sunshine as possible, adding a new sense of life to the surroundings.

It had seemed like such a great day to Teagan that she'd decided to volunteer to watch over a couple of the Fallen whelps with a few tenderfoots and omegas to help her manage them. It was one of her favorite pastimes, caring for the the ring's youngest members. In fact, if it wasn't also for the strength of her shift and her occasionally spitfire personality, Teagan would have surely been assigned an Omega. But, as it were, she had Hunter duties to juggle along with her devoted attention to the whelps, although she never once minded.

However as noon had drawn nearer, Teagan left the others in order to complete her job. On a spur of the moment decision she changed course to the Citadel Mountains, having always found the jagged, yet wooded atmosphere to be serene. The air seemed to be cleaner and the trees more alive. The dark, looming cliffs and the calm valleys helped raise the second half of her nature. When she wandered the deer trails or visited the forested habitat she felt at home, especially if she lumbered about in her bear transformation. Like today.

The massive, almost 670 pound Kodiak bear was a sight to behold as she moved through the forest, her dark chocolate fur and tawny brown eyes blending in smoothly into the bark of the trees. Despite Teagan's impressive size though, she still managed to move about with languid grace, dancing through the trees and shifting from trail to trail with a sense of calm and peace beneath the iron-hard muscles of the powerful form. Heavy, broad paws and large, mighty limbs carried her substantial silhouette with confidence through the forest. Every once in awhile the female bear would pause mid step to scan her surroundings, swaying her jumbo-sized visage from side to side. Her round ears would listen carefully and her incredibly sensitive nose would test the air in mild vigilance.

After some time of just wandering around, searching the forest for possible food she could bring back to the children, Teagan picked up on a scent that seemed out of place. Something tangy and feminine mixed with sweat and exhaustion. Could it be someone else is up here? Without a second guess, Teagan changed course and trekked purposefully toward the new scent, following the invisible path it lay out in front of her, until finally she encountered its source.

The talented huntress had stopped a good fifty feet from the young woman, watching her warily from a shaded place in the woods, using the shadows and dark bark on the trees to keep her as inconspicuous as possible. Fawn brown eyes followed the girls deep breaths and her big nose carefully tried to identify the her scent. Once she noticed the Fallen taint to it though Teagan immediately relaxed. This older female was family, and that was all that mattered.

I better reveal myself! She might be thinking I'm some sort of enemy with the way I'm practically stalking her at the moment!

So Teagan casually began approaching the her false sister, taking the time to step on every twig and breath as loudly as possible so that her entrance would not startle the other Fallen. And once she was sure she was in the woman's complete view, the enormous female bear unconcernedly plopped down on her large haunches, sitting almost comically on her big butt. Their was no question that she was trying to say she meant no harm, any trace of aggression all but disappearing as Teagan locked happily fired brown eyes with the girl's emerald green ones.

"Hello, the name's Teagan. I'm a Hunter amongst the Fallen. Who are you?" The words were easygoing, but also carried a soft undertone of flaming passion and love beneath the kind surface.

But if you lay one hand on my children then I will rip apart your heart, life, and soul. And I'll make sure that you will never want to forgive me.

[Delilah Harper]

I'll keep smiling for everyone!

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Seeing this bear was a bit frightening to Delilah. She kind of jumped out of her skin as she saw the bear. Watching it being all playful, Delilah figured out that the bear was a shifter like the rest of the ring. Being a shifter was still very new to Delilah and it seemed like a fairy tale to see other shifters as well. Shifters were looked down upon by humans and to think people looked down upon her made her wonder why people were so cruel. Delilah was never a cruel person so to think that people were so hateful that it made her feel even more unique than everyone else. She was a shifter and kind, others were human and mean.

As the bear introduced herself, it was definitely an awkward experience. The bear said she was a Fallen member so that made her feel a whole lot better because there was no way in hell she would be able to fight off another member. More or less, besides not being able to fight, she wouldn't even want to fight with another ring. Delilah always thought fighting was so pointless and wrong, that it didn't solve anything. Yes, fighting doesn't solve anything but to people in this ring, fighting was everything. Staring at the bear, she realized that she was silent for awhile so it was time to speak.

"Hello Teagan, my name is Delilah. It's definitely an honor to meet a hunter in the Fallen ring. I commend you for your great efforts to honor this ring." Without even trying, she was complimenting the girl that she has never met before. Well, Delilah hoped that the girl was able to turn back into a human because talking to a bear seemed out of the ordinary. Thinking about it, this whole thing had to be a dream since it made no sense. Closing her eyes, she kept thinking to herself, Wake up, wake up. Please, wake up. Opening her eyes, she was still there, and still talking to a giant bear.

Delilah's heart was beating so fast from being exhausted as well as having the experience to talk to a bear. Looking forward and away from the bear, she kept hoping that somehow she would magically be down from this mountain and back to her cart to shift and lay on her disgusting torn up couch comfortably. Facing Teagan again, she tried to start a conversation. "So, Teagan, what brings you to this mountain? To be honest, I'm not quite sure how I got up here but I know somehow, someway, God will get me down safely!" Delilah emphasized on the word safely because Delilah knew to pray carefully because if she didn't say safely, she had a huge risk of slipping down the mountain to her death.

Even though I'm crying for me.

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[teagan]

Teagan

You want my heart? Here, take it. My life? Yours to command. My soul? Yours to abuse... And in the end I will forgive you for it.

Worry crossed the sow as she waited patiently for the other Fallen to respond. Her wide dial twitched slightly, her extremely sensitive nose quivering as she mulled over her thoughts, thoughtful brown eyes scanning the girl one more time with consideration.

I hope I didn't frighten her or anything... My voice can sound a little weird in when I'm a bear... Teagan hoped she hadn't caused the woman to freeze up or anything. Sometimes that happened, especially when first approached in this figure. All they could see was a big bear who could cause some serious damage, and suddenly she was a threat. Oh, don't get Teagan wrong, the instinctual fearfulness was helpful for her job, and the spitfire female was strong enough to have survived this long... but family were family, and the thought of another Fallen being afraid of her disturbed her inner compassion. Way to go about making friends you great oaf! She chided herself, her worry starting to get the better of her.

"Hello Teagan, my name is Delilah. It's definitely an honor to meet a hunter in the Fallen ring. I commend you for your great efforts to honor this ring."

The praises were sung just at the right moment, pulling Teagan from her internal self-commentary and centering the carnivore's focus upon the other shifter instantly. The sow calmed, letting out a shaggy breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Geez, I shouldn't jump to conclusions! It'll get me into trouble one day.

The woman's compliments, although not immediately registering in her brain, pleased Teagan greatly. She was very proud of her position and of her Fallenring family. Though it went against some of her principles to show favoritism, Teagan would still happily claim her ring was the best. And being a protector of the ring was incredibly important to her. In fact, the mere thought that her family might be in danger or at risk because of their recent alliances caused Teagan's blood to boil with fury. Her tawny pools shifted away from Delilah to a couple of bushes nearby, furry lips tweaking up in a mild, but silent, snarl. One thing is for sure, I'll break the bones of anyone who trifles with my cubs! Maternal instincts coursed briefly through the bear's veins, momentarily alighting her shape with a strange, protective and ruthless aura.

But Teagan's motherly wrath evaporated when she recalled where she was, eyes blinking a few times to clear up the intense feelings. Gosh, I'm gonna send myself to an early grave at this rate. Her emotions simmered down, and she was able to return her bright gaze back to Delilah, expression once again soft and joyous. Goodness gracious, I'm acting as bad as a pregnant woman! Teagan couldn't help but chuckle a little inwardly at the thought, laughter now shining beneath her plain optics.

Delilah's next words caught her attention though, the casual mentioning of 'God' throwing a curve ball at Teagan. She struggled with the pitch in her mind, mentally coming up short as she curiously rolled Delilah's brief prayer through her thoughts. God? Who is this God that she speaks of? Someone important? Oh OH! Maybe their a famous rock singer or something! But wait... how could a rock singer see her safely down the mountain? Hmmmm... this is puzzling... Teagan drifted away for a couple of seconds as she drew up one crazy scenario after another, forgetting that Delilah had asked her a question until she finally came back to earth.

I'll just ask about it later.

Teagan threw the girl her best smile, though it came out as being somewhat strange to see a full-grown Kodiak bear giving anything a playful grin."Nice to meet you, Delilah. Always a pleasure to find another 'sister'." The last word meant a lot to Teagan, but she used it offhandedly, hoping to play down how closely she viewed the Fallen as family. You never knew when someone might try and used it against you. Teagan was no fool to using someone's weakness to one's own advantage. But that has no place in this conversation.

"I'm here collecting food for the ring, although I was hoping to find some sweet berries for the childr- I mean, whelps- specifically. With all the tension about the war lately I thought something tasty might relax 'em a little bit." Her voice held that same carefree and sprightly personality. "But if you need an escort down the mountains I'd be happy to help..." Teagan trailed off casually at the end, her expression fixing itself on Delilah expectantly. Then a sudden thought struck her, and Tegan couldn't help but gasp at her possible inconsiderateness. "Unless you would prefer this 'God' to see you safely alone. I don't want to, uh, intrude."

Clearly, Teagan was a stranger to religious faith. Sure, she had her own beliefs, but she'd never coined her religious system with physical terms unless necessary. To do so would somehow belittle the true feelings of it all, in her quirky mind. But she also probably did it because she didn't quite understand what she believed, and had no way of explaining it. And she didn't really want to either. You didn't hear that from me, though.

But if you lay one hand on my children then I will rip apart your heart, life, and soul. And I'll make sure that you will never want to forgive me.

[Delilah Harper]

I'll keep smiling for everyone!

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Watching the bear carefully, the bear, well Teagan, seemed friendly enough. The one thing that confused her was the fact that she has stayed in bear form this whole time instead of shifting back into a human. It wasn't like that Delilah never shifted into her Albino Bengal Cat form, it was just the fact that she felt better being in her human form. Being a cat was easier for her to get away from people though, but luckily for Delilah, she hasn't had the need to actually run away from somebody else. Well.... not yet anyways.

'Sister' was the word that was implanted in Delilah's mind. Being in a ring now made each other family which was very interesting for her. Delilah always grew up in a big family and all she wanted was a family. Now, from what Teagan referred her as, it seems she has a family all over again. Only this time, they are in danger of another 'family' who seems to tend to harm people for absolutely no good reason. Thinking about it, Delilah wasn't sure if she liked this whole family business due to the fact that another family was out to get them. To Delilah, it felt like she was in a Mafia and there was no way out of this. Well, mostly because, there isn't a way out of this anyways.

As soon as Teagan said the word 'food', Delilah's stomach made a really loud noise. Laughing at the sound her stomach made, she replied "That's wonderful that you are getting food for the Whelps. That's an amazing charity for you to do. When I was out of the Menagerie, I use to cook food all the time for my family and even charity. Now, it seems I can't even get food for myself." Even though she was still starving, she was smiling at Teagan with her bright warm smile. People in her family always loved her smile because it always made them feel like everything was okay. Sadly, Delilah can't seem to see her own smile anymore to feel better.

Hearing that Teagan was going to help her down the mountain gave Delilah a huge relief. Apparently, Teagan has never heard of God which made Delilah smile. To her, it made the girl seem more innocent and sheltered from life. Delilah wasn't that kind of girl where she disliked somebody for not believing in God or never heard of God. Having your own belief was one of the greatest things Delilah liked. This was her own path, not anybody else. Getting up from her seat carefully, she said, " I'd really love if you could help me down the mountain. I'm sure God's a little busy with somebody else at that moment."

Even though I'm crying for me.

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[teagan]

Teagan

You want my heart? Here, take it. My life? Yours to command. My soul? Yours to abuse... And in the end I will forgive you for it.

Bright, wide hot chocolate eyes sparkled attentively as the bear-woman listened to Delilah. She couldn't help but think Delilah was a very good person the more and more she observed her, bear instincts scenting no deceit or foul play about her manner. In fact, that sweet tangy flavor she'd wafted before came back to tickle her nostrils tentatively, occasionally distracting the Teagan with its pleasant odor.

But it didn't prevent the vivacious-blooded shifter from catching the sound of Delilah's stomach when food was mentioned or the happily grateful way her Fallen sister accepted her invitation to guide her down the mountains. A weird, yet obviously gentle smile graced the sow's features. I'm happy that she accepted... this 'God' fella didn't exactly sound like he might hand her a useful map and these cliffs can be treacherous! I was worried that I might end up having to stalk her all the way down if she said no. I just wouldn't be able to forgive myself if something bad were to happen.

"Great! I'll make sure your seen safely down the mountain in one piece, perhaps with some provisions to take back to the others if we can find any along the way..." Teagan said thoughtfully, her large right paw coming up to tap her chin with vicious looking claws. It was a purely human expression, and added a comical appearance to the Fallen Hunter once again. "If not, at least it'll be a nice walk back in this fair weather."

Then, without missing a single beat, the bear suddenly slapped her paws down on the warm grass with a whump!, sending dirt clods of rich soil everywhere. Round ears wiggled cheerfully and her eyes once again glittered with playful, yet this time also motherly, affection. "But first we need to get you some grub!" Maternal instincts had swung back in full circle, and Teagan wasn't about to let a member of her family go hungry for long. It went against her deepest principles and their was no hope of getting her to overlook the trifling plight of Delilah. She was family, and family was taken care of when Teagan was around.

"I can scrounge up some fresh kill if you don't mind meat. In fact, you might even be able to season it with some herbs if your willing to cook! I'm pretty sure I can smell out a rosemary cluster or two with this nose... Or I could search for a fruit tree nearby!" Teagan tried to spring to her feet, but instead simply scrabbled around a little until all four paws were beneath her. Dark chocolate fur rippled with joyous excitement, muscles bunching up as Teagan litterally appeared to be bouncing with animation. "So what do you want to eat?"

But if you lay one hand on my children then I will rip apart your heart, life, and soul. And I'll make sure that you will never want to forgive me.

[Delilah Harper]

I'll keep smiling for everyone!

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It was nice to Delilah that Teagan was so eager about walking her back down the mountain. Not being alone when anything can happen was a nice comfort for her to think about. This was nobody's territory so Delilah knew that somebody from the Carna ring could easily come and try to attack her. Well, she knew they would attack her and kill her. Having somebody from the Fallen ring who is a wear is like a nice warm blanket on a freezing winter day to keep you warm from the big bad scary cold from the outside. Still, Delilah didn't know that it was still safe to keep her as her guide since she is still, a bear.

When Teagan talked about getting food for her again, it sounded so very pleasant to her that somebody would actually offer her to get some food. For one, she was going to get food and that she wasn't that actual person offering food this time. It's not like Delilah didn't like serving food to all her guests back at home, it was just the fact that she liked the attention that somebody is actually offering her food since that basically never happened back in Michigan since she was always the one cooking the food and being the hostess. I like this change of pace. This is definitely a warm and comforting feeling.

So, the choices in this place is fresh kill of meat or fruit. The meat sounded absolutely disgusting since it wasn't cooked and it would be all bloody but Delilah was use to cooking all the time so she knew it wouldn't be a hard of a challenge, well, sort of. The fruit tree sounded really nice but it didn't sound filling at all since to her fruit was never a filling type of food. All through her life she was always able to eat tons of fruit and not get stuffed after a long time. Well, Delilah made a decision. "I wouldn't mind the fresh.... kill. I use to cook all the back when I was home and I use to go camping all the time so I'm pretty sure I can cook something and make it delicious!" she said with a bubbly attitude.

Walking slowly up to the bear, she was very tempting to pet Teagan but that sounded like a death sentence. Actually, walking up to a bear in general sounded like a really bad idea. Yes, Delilah was clueless but she wasn't plain out retarded. Delilah had some sense to know that petting a bear equals the chance of getting your face mauled into a million pieces then die a very painful bloody death. As she finished walking, she was still a good two yards away from Teagan. If Teagan was in her human shift, Delilah knew she wouldn't feel so insecure as she is. The Menagerie was still something to adjust to.

Even though I'm crying for me.

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[teagan]

Teagan

You want my heart? Here, take it. My life? Yours to command. My soul? Yours to abuse... And in the end I will forgive you for it.

The calm serenity that seemed to emanate from Delilah helped to taper down on Teagan's bubbling excitement a little, but not by too much. The bear still shifted from side to side in a half-swaying motion in attempts to keep herself in check, and her long claws gouged the soft earth repeatedly. Big black nose was twitching madly with elation and her snout was decorated with a lively, yet somewhat unnerving, grin.

Satisfaction radiated from the dark chocolate bear, her great shaggy head nodding in union when Delilah agreed to eating something before heading straight back to the Fallen territory. She heartily approved of the decision, pleased that she would have the chance to take care of someone in her family for the second time that day. It was by far one of the best things Teagan enjoyed.

"Good. I'll go hustle up some grub with this helpful nose of mine while you prepare a fire or something. I'll probably be bringing back some fish since that is what my species tends to specialize in." The bear winked happily after the last sentence, before continuing to speak. "If you need me for anything you can just call out my name. I'll make sure to always be within hearing distance."

A part of Teagan was worried about leaving Delilah to fend for herself, despite the fact that the older woman had managed to get along just fine so far. The Irish shifter just didn't like leaving family members unprotected if she could help it. A lot could happen in a few minutes in the Menagerie. But Teagan supposed she would just trust that Delilah could take care of herself for a little while. Heck, Delilah could be a dangerous lion and perfectly capable of fighting even the best of the Carna as far as Teagan knew. So she put aside the worry to concentrate on the task.

"Any specific herbs or spices you want me to bring back, or do you just want whatever I can find?"

But if you lay one hand on my children then I will rip apart your heart, life, and soul. And I'll make sure that you will never want to forgive me.

[Delilah Harper]

I'll keep smiling for everyone!

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Fish is what stuck into her mind. Cooking fish was one of the things she had trouble cooking back when she was at home. That was one of the only foods she actually had to try over and over again to try to make. Well, it was mostly because she didn't know which spices to use. Delilah always had trouble asking for help and she didn't like looking up recipes that weren't given to her. From her grandmother, one of the few many recipes she didn't have was fish. Every time she went to make it she basically always had to wing it. Usually, Delilah's meals were always amazing but never fish.

"Yes, I'll definitely call you if I need anything!" she said very casually. Now, Delilah was a little bit worried that her meal would come out bad. One thing she always liked to do was blow people away with her awesome cooking so having to cook fish in front of someone she just met would be hard. That was just one itsy bitsy defect of Delilah that she actually has. Growing up, she always wanted to be a better cook than her grandmother and eventually she became that. With being in the Menagerie now, it seemed to Delilah she would never be able to impress anyone with her cooking.

Any specific herbs or spices you want me to bring back, or do you just want whatever I can find? That was a difficult question for her to hear since still, she didn't know which ones to use. "Ummmmm, any herbs or spices will do just perfectly I suppose. I'm not really sure which spices or herbs are here in this place so whatever you can find, will do its absolute justice." That was only partly true. Yes, she didn't know which spices or herbs were here but in her own mind set, she should be asking for specific herbs and spices which MUST be used in this recipe.

Turning away, she started to walk around and pick up some long sticks to be able to make the fire with. In her mind, she was still freaking out about how she is going to look bad in front of Teagan about how bad her cooking was going to come out and how Teagan is going to spit out her food and say how absolutely disgusting it is. That would just absolutely break her heart and she hoped that it would turn out okay. Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, she decided to make a prayer, God, please help me make this a delicious meal and please help me realize everything will be okay. "Amen."

Even though I'm crying for me.

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[teagan]

Teagan

You want my heart? Here, take it. My life? Yours to command. My soul? Yours to abuse... And in the end I will forgive you for it.

Teagan only nodded her shaggy head once to signal her understanding before lumbering off, a nearly unnoticeable spring in her step as she trekked back into the heavily wooded area.

Immediately Teagan raised her dish-shaped face, pointing her keen nose into the air and inhaling deep breaths. With instinctual ease, the bear mapped out the surrounding area through scent and began moving casually toward the closest water source. It wasn't long until the sow had vanished completely into the vegetation, dark chocolate pelt hiding her presence from the world. Grunting every once in awhile, the heavy-footed bear-shifter shuffled along with a strange grace, a hulking creature of power that barely left any trace of itself behind. If not for the depressions in the soil and broken leaf on the ground, one would never have know that the massive bear had passed by. She moved silently out of both experience and instinct, taking up the position of a predator tracking prey.

The trail she blazed was treacherous, its path including one particularly dangerous cliff side. It was difficult to manage in such a large, brawny body and Teagan nearly transformed just to play it safe. I'll probably need to shift forms when I get back... whatever I'll be carrying will make it too difficult to lumber across in this monstrous body. Sooner after Teagan felt her sensitive nose get hit with an aroma of fresh water, tugging at her gut.

I'm getting closer... Teagan paused to lower her broad dial to the earth, sniffing at the scent trail she was following. Yep, I'll be at the stream in a few seconds. With that, the sow continued on, picking up the pace as she eagerly shambled through the forest.

I'll try and hurry so that I won't be gone long.

The stream she arrived at was beautiful, but troublesome. Its banks were surrounded by a thick batch of tangled bushes, making it a struggle to approach without getting caught in nasty thorns. After glaring at the plant for its inconvience, Teagan was forced to amble up and down the stream's side until she finally found a small opening between the bushes, a clear drinking spot for any other animals that dwelled in these parts. Grateful, Teagan settled down on her big butt once again to study the waters, searching for signs of fish.I hope this stream has some.

Warm brown pools danced, tracing the various water plants that decorated the sides. Wait, I think... All the shifter needed was to see a flash of silver-red and she found herself leaping into the water, coming right on top of a slippery scaled fish. Without needing to think, the bear mind took control and swiped the plump fish up into the air, spraying water everywhere, and catching the darn thing between two large jaws.

Salmon! That one taste sent the bear into a mild frenzy, and Teagan had to struggle to drop the fish on the steam's banks instead of eating it. Today is my lucky day!

For the next fifteen minutes of so, the darkly-hued female bear did nothing but scoop up salmon after salmon. The front section of her coat and paws were wet and her eyes glittering happily by the time she'd managed to make a pile of four salmon on the bank, two fully grown. We might even have extra to take back! Grinning that strange bear grin, Teagan clambered out of the waters carefully, not wanting to disturb her haphazard stack of meat and scales, where she gave herself a rough shake. Droplet of water speckled the foliage with fake dew.

Well, I can't expect to carry all of these back in my mouth so...

It took only a moment, then the bear was suddenly replaced by a small, pixie-like redhead with the same hot cocoa eyes. Shoulder length, chestnut red hair fell in damp rivulets around her round face, the remaining water flowing onto her indigo tanktop. Her fitting, flare style jeans were soaking at the bottom, her simple tennis shoes even more so. Yet that didn't deter Teagan one bit as she casually went about hefting the multiple fish into her creamy, pale arms. Twice she almost tipped over from the weight, her subtle flexability and careful balance saving her both times... she didn't seem to notice that either though, smiling proudly the entire time. The girl wasn't particularly beautiful in the normal sense, but she glowed with the same light that sparkled in her comely eyes.

"I hope Delilah will be happy with this... whew!" Her voice was soft, yet musical with a spark of fire in it. "Next up, the herbs!" Teagan, with all the energy of a energizer bunny, bounced back toward the trail she'd followed before, weaving her way amongst the trees with exceptional flexibility, despite the heavy burden. When she returned to the central location, Teagan's arms were straining with fish, rosemary, and wild poppy.

Forgetting that Delilah had not seen her in her human form yet, Teagan walked straight into their 'camp', dancing around the oddly placed undergrowth and announcing to the world her arrival. "Hey! I got some salmon and some good herbs too. All we really need to do is sear these big babies and I think we'll be good!" Unlike her awkward bear voice, the new Teagan's words now sounded bell-like and clear, yet also unbidden and wild like her flaming hair.

But if you lay one hand on my children then I will rip apart your heart, life, and soul. And I'll make sure that you will never want to forgive me.

[Delilah Harper]

I'll keep smiling for everyone!

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The camper in her was coming out very quickly. Camping was a good part of her life and she was definitely glad she had the chance to do it since Delilah now knew what to do and how to do it. Looking around, there didn't seem to be many kind of long sticks to be able to use for the soon to be fire. Being freezing wasn't the most fun feeling in the world, which was an unintelligent reason for her to come up to this mountain in the damn first place. There was no way she could stand the cold anymore so she decided to shift into her Albino Bengal Cat form for the first time in public.

It felt weird for Delilah to be in this form out in the open but it wasn't like anyone would really care. Walking towards where Teagan headed, she looked around cautiously to make sure there were no predators there that like to feed on poor defenseless kitty cats. Running into the start of the forest, there were plenty of long sticks there. Darn, I have to shift back now. she thought to herself. The warmth from her fur coat was very soothing to her since the cold wasn't any better. Shifting back, she picked up about twenty sticks and two dry rocks and headed back into the 'camp.'

Throwing it all on the ground, she knew it was time to get to work. Using eighteen of the sticks, she set up the sticks so she could use it for the fire. The other two sticks were to stab into the fish to cook it over the fire. The rocks had two purposes, to start the fire and to hopefully scrape off the scales of the fish because humans can't eat scales from a fish. Rubbing the rocks together as fast as she can over and and over again, it seemed that they wanted to be a pain in the butt and not start the fire. After a few minutes of trying, it finally sparked and the dry twigs lit up in flames after blowing on it.

Seeing this new girl come out of nowhere, it startled her and she fell on her butt. Staring at her for a little bit, she didn't seem like she would hurt her but then she saw that she had fish in her hands and it all made sense that it was Teagan who was here. In Delilah's eyes, she was very beautiful and it seemed that maybe out of the Menagerie, she had a lot going for her for her beauty but now being here, all of those beautiful dreams are gone and shattered into a million pieces. "Oh, it's you Teagan. You gave me quite a scare. Yes, I'm sure it won't take too long to cook up these fish!"

Even though I'm crying for me.

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[teagan]

Teagan

You want my heart? Here, take it. My life? Yours to command. My soul? Yours to abuse... And in the end I will forgive you for it.

The frightened confusion that crossed Delilah's face sparked a flame of worry in the happy-hearted Irish girl, causing her to frown delicately. Light eyebrows furrowed in concentration and she cocked her round visage to one side, the majority of her burning locks spilling over one shoulder. Did I do something wrong?

But the reason behind the scared loom was explained, much to Teagan's relief, and the frown turned upside down. "OH! Sorry 'bout that." Teagan's musical voice trilled through the air between the two females, her face blushing in a sheepish smile. "I forgot that you haven't seen me as a homo sapien yet... Well, here I am!" Her arms twitched in a way that indicated she would have struck a pose just then, if it weren't for the salmon and plants nestled carefully against her tiny torso.

"And here are the salmon! The cold water made them slow, so I was able to catch a good amount..." Teagan walked slowly over to Delilah, her warm eyes twinkling brightly, then deposited her load on the ground near the new fire Delilah must have just started. Not one to leave a mess, Teagan crouched down to carefully seperate her collection of natural foods into neat piles... it was almost adorable how her forehead crinkled in tense concentration in order to do the small task. Almost.

Once she was finished sorting, the pixie redhead looked up at Delilah and smiled, the energy in her small frame radiating from her face. "Do you need any help with anything else? I'm not much of a cook, but I'm willing offer up assistance any way I can."

But if you lay one hand on my children then I will rip apart your heart, life, and soul. And I'll make sure that you will never want to forgive me.

(OoC: Sorry it took so long and is so short! *.*)

[Delilah Harper]

I'll keep smiling for everyone!

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Smiling at Teagan, Delilah, was glad that she had some help with this. There was no way in hell that Delilah would be able to catch the salmon. Hunting isn't one of her best attributes since she has never done such a thing before. It saddened Delilah that just to eat she would have to be the one to kill the animal. It just didn't seem right to her to kill an animal just to survive. One thing she knew though was that it was the circle of life and that other animals killed other animals to survive. Not all animals are herbivores so she knew that they wouldn't be going to animal hell... if there was one.

"The only help I need darling is skinning the fish. All I need you to do is with the fish you are going to eat is all you need to do is take the rock and scrape all the scales off the fish. Then we're going to put the herbs you brought and sprinkle it over the salmon then rub it into it. Then all we have to do next is stick one of the sticks into the fish and hold it over the fire until it is cooked well enough. Did you get all that?" she said in a bubbly tone with a bit of laughter. Delilah didn't realize it but she gave a whole lot of directions at one time and unlike her, some people can't grasp things like this.

To show how she was doing it, Delilah took one of the fish and placed it in her lap. Then she took one of the big rocks she found and started to scrape across the fish a little hard but not too hard and the scales seemed to be coming off. Looking back towards Teagan, while smiling, Delilah said, "See how I'm doing it love? Just scrape across the fish and the scales will come off. Try to get all the scales off because if you eat one, it's going to hurt your throat." Even though the woman was talking to was a grown woman, she was still being very motherly.

Even though I'm crying for me.

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[teagan]

Teagan

You want my heart? Here, take it. My life? Yours to command. My soul? Yours to abuse... And in the end I will forgive you for it.

"Ok, I'll do my best. I warn you though, my experience as a chef is nonexistent." A gentle, humored smile became the newest light to dazzle Teagan's visage, the grin lingering even as she selected a suitable rock from the ground and picked up one of the larger salmon. Then, with a momentary perfection of grace, the petite redhead sat down on a fluffy patch of grass by the fire. The glittering smile on her faces faded a little as she concentrated on the challenge the fish presented, placing on her lap while she studied it like it was some sort of rare specimen.

Hmmm, I hope I get this right. I wouldn't want to choke on a scale like Delilah said. But, then again, wouldn't that be a way to go! I can survive fighting Carna, training idiots, and even the children unending questions... but one little fish scale and BOOM! The thought brought a tiny, almost unnoticeable quirk to her grin, her melting eyes sparkling with mirth.

With her thoughts keeping her company, Teagan started to go about her assigned task, attacking the fish scales with vigor. In fact, she practically butchered the soft meat in the beginning until she finally got the hang of it. Rub, stroke, repeat. One, two, three, four...

A peaceable silence fell, stretching between the two females in a strangely soothing way. The serene pause amongst the new friends seemed to seal the friendship in Teagan's mind. No matter what happened in this horrid 'zoo' in the future, each would always have at least this memory of sitting quietly with a friend. Geez, now I'm feeling all sentimental. And I was filled with laughter only a few seconds ago. Man, I'm no better than a pregnant woman! ... Now I'm laughing again. The glow of cheerful glee appeared on the young woman's face for a second time, and she couldn't help but stop her ministrations to chuckle softly to herself. Her gaze unfocused as she stared off into the pleasant scenery around her.

"I'm glad I met you, Delilah. I hope we can be good friends in the future to come... especially with war lingering on the horizon."

But if you lay one hand on my children then I will rip apart your heart, life, and soul. And I'll make sure that you will never want to forgive me.

(OoC: Here it is! Apologies for the delay.)

[Delilah Harper]

I'll keep smiling for everyone!

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Delilah couldn't help but giggle at the comment about how her chef experience was nonexistent. It reminded her of how she said something like that a very young age since she got so flustered with the fact that every time she cracked an egg for whatever they were baking, a good amount of the shell of the egg would fall in. Watching her scrape the scales off the fish, it was like the girl had talent all along but never had the chance to actually use her cooking skills out in the wilderness.

The silence between them was a little awkward for Delilah at first but then she slowly eased into it and it actually became peaceful. Without thinking about it, she was humming the lullaby that her mom and dad use to sing to her as a little girl. It was definitely a beautiful tune and with Delilah's beautiful voice, it only made it so much better. Eventually, the humming turned into actual song. "In the darkest of nights I'll be there for you. Even if you can not smile I'll smile for you. I'll always be by your side my darling. My beautiful little girl."

Realizing she was singing, she cupped her mouth and laughed for a good five seconds before she ended with a huff. "Oh, I'm sorry about that Teagan. I didn't realize I was singing. Please excuse me for that." she said in a very sincere voice. Delilah knew she had a beautiful voice but she thought it was rude to sing in front of someone a song that they don't know so you can't sing together. That was something her grandfather taught her. Yes, she also missed her grandfather.

Even though I'm crying for me.

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[teagan]

Teagan

You want my heart? Here, take it. My life? Yours to command. My soul? Yours to abuse... And in the end I will forgive you for it.

Music.

It had been a long time since she'd heard music, whether by instument or by voice. It was like a breath of fresh air to a drowning man, her soul suddenly falling into ease as Delilah's voice vibrated through the space between them. Teagan was fondly reminded of memories long buried, the vague photos flashing across the screen in bright pictures of color.

But as her older companion finished her brief song, Teagan was painfully reminded that those sparkling days in her childhood were over. Mom and Pops were not apart of her life anymore. She had a new family now... Yet I admit, there are still times when I miss the music... The petite Irishwoman sighed in resignation to herself, closing her eyes for a moment in a drawn out blink. The past is the past, no point in wallowing in what could have been and move on to what can be. Teagan gave her head a rough shake, tossing her flaming locks a bit in the process, then opened her vibrant eyes to focus on the fish once more.

The tranquility that had momentarily taken over her naturally animated facade faded as Teagan collected her thoughts, her mind finally registering what Delilah had said. "Do not apologize! It was lovely!" Teagan beamed up at the blond Fallen. "Actually I was wondering if you were up for singing to the Cubs whenever your avaliable...? Its always nice to have someone sing you to sleep..."

As she spoke, Teagan was careful to finish de-scaling her salmon. In fact, the redhead was so proud of her somewhat tattered salmon that she completely forgot about what to do next... and simply grabbed a stick and skewered the fish without spicing it first. Not that she noticed though, "Ha! Fini." Triumph radiated from her delicately round face. "Taa daa! One down, only a few more to go!"

But if you lay one hand on my children then I will rip apart your heart, life, and soul. And I'll make sure that you will never want to forgive me.

[Delilah Harper]

I'll keep smiling for everyone!

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To hear Teagan's compliment made Delilah blush a bit. Always hearing about how good her voice was from people out of the Menagerie and to hear it from somebody in the Menagerie made her feel better about herself. It's not that she had low self esteem but hearing compliments was always such a wonderful thing to her. Looking towards Teagan with a smile on her face, she replied, "Thank you very much, Teagan. I would love to sing for the cubs one day. It would be my honor."

Quickly noticing that the woman forgot to put the spices on, Delilah didn't really know how to react. Spoiling her on how she did sounded like a really awful thing but to not have spices on it, that might be worse. Thinking about it, she wasn't sure either to sneakily put some spices on it afterward or just leave it be. Coming to a conclusion, she realized that she would just eat that salmon instead so nobody else would say something was wrong with it. Delilah didn't want anyone to discourage her from cooking.

Finishing the scaling of the fish, she put on the spices of the fish and rubbed it in really hard on both sides. Delilah wanted to to be smeared all over the fish. Most people didn't eat the head of the fish but Delilah figured that it wouldn't be a problem. Besides, they didn't have anything to cut the head off with anyways. Shoving the stick through the fish, she held it over the fire to let it cook for awhile. Turning back to Teagan, she decided they need a little small talk. "So darling, where do you come from?" Delilah could tell she was already Irish but she wasn't sure if she actually grew up in Ireland herself.

Even though I'm crying for me.

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