First story POM story in a long time. Please enjoy. WARNING: Not yet edited.

A PLACE TO REST MY HEAD

BY THE YOUNG AND FREE DRAGON

Two birds on a wire
One tries to fly away
And the other watches him close from that wire
He says he wants to as well
But he is a liar

-Two Birds by Regina Spektor


PROLOGUE: DREAMSCAPES

Honestly, somehow it always seems that
I'm dreaming of something I can never be

-A.D.I.D.A.S. by KoRn

Skipper yawned widely and sipped the empty cup of fish coffee he held in his flipper. He was almost hung over from the sheer fact that this week and next week were free weeks. He'd sat up all night for the past few days, pacing and doing things to try and keep himself busy. His sense were dim for the first time in his life. Four days so far without even one roll call… he was barely able to stay sane. And what was the reason? Somehow, he could never face the reality of what was to come after this week. He tried to put it in his mind and yet, every time he did, his stomach would turn and he would almost vomit. He knew what this feeling was… it was fear. Pure, horrifying fear. He often asked himself how this had come to be, but he had to remember that the others in the team had wanted it, not him.

So the zoo would only be around until this month ended…

It was a fact that caused him to groan and begin begging for another pill. He took at least four "Pepto Bismols" a day and was hooked on "Ibuprofen" for his constant headaches and achy pains from stress. He liberated these from Alice's office, originally because Kowalski had suggested they would make him feel better. And they did. The pills were hard to swallow whole, but he felt great once they began to work through his system. But then Kowalski began telling him that the heavy doses he was taking would affect his health and cause him to have problems that would make this one seem inferior. But the fact was that, Skipper was terrified of the zoo breaking apart, and that meant the team was at stake.

If the team broke apart, then there was nothing left for him to live for. He only enjoyed life because of his brothers. And the zoo shipping the animals out would also prevent him from seeing Kitka every other week. Her old mate had returned, and her eggs had hatched. Despite himself, he felt insanely jealous of the male. Even if her mate was most likely going to leave for good once the babies were older, it was a possibility that he would stay.

And what of the situation of Marlene? She and Skipper were always being viewed as an item by the zoo, but the fact was that they had only actually spent two days together so far, as actual friends. Any other time was a mission, and strictly a mission. He reminded her that when they were carrying out a task, that it was no time to try and work on a friendly relationship. Friendly. He sighed. He didn't even know if he liked Marlene. It was hard to think of being with anyone else besides Kitka. Of course the whole thing where she had eaten Fred was creepy, but he accepted her nature and she was perfect for him. Where could Marlene hold a place?

And the next problem with Marlene. She had said she was eager to leave this zoo. She stated that not only had it been a drag in the past few months, but she felt the need to travel around a bit, with or without friends. Skipper couldn't understand how this mentality had entered her head, but it was there. And so she wanted change, and he wanted things to stay the same. How could it ever work?

But this wasn't the only problem this week. He didn't even get to spend these last few days with his team because Kowalski had them busy vaccinating zoo and preparing them for the world ahead. He wondered why he himself hadn't ordered this. Maybe I'm loosing my touch… He thought.


Just an introduction. Please review.