A/N: This is the extra story I promised (For Dragongirlj, and everyone else, but specifically her. ENJOY!) about Marlene and Azai Zho. (He's an oriental otter, it's pronounced As-eye Show.). The song used here is Moondance, a version heard in the movie August Rush. It's a plus if you read the story while listening to the song, as many times as it takes. Warning: There's a lot of fluff in this story. In fact, that's all it is. If you don't want to read it, you don't have to. It's not really important to anything. I just like the idea.
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Moondance
A younger, more naive Marlene sat by the pond. It was chilly out, and her feet barely skimmed the surface of the water. Her mother and father were out, and she was left alone, since her brother and sisters had all paired off.
The silver moon's reflection sparkled and shined. She just wasn't into that. Not just yet. She didn't want to settle down, even though the prospect of being a mother enticed her beyond all belief. She just hadn't found the right male. Plenty had offered... none were... right.
It was slowly getting colder, and Marlene was going to have to go inside soon. But the moon... it was so big. Like it was calling her. She wasn't sure what it was telling her, but she wanted to stay as long as she could. Maybe then, she could figure out what it was saying. "What do I do now?" She asked pretty much no one. It was a voice from behind her that answered back.
"Dance."
She didn't turn around to look, even though the voice was foreign to her. Though... dance... it did seem to be the right thing to do. She stared at the moon's glowing form, teasing her from afar. It's reflection seemed to be swaying back and forth to some unheard music... some mute song. She swayed a little with it, and the voice spoke again. "I'll help you."
Well it's a marvelous night for a moon dance
With the stars up above in your eyes
Marlene could dance a little more freely now. Her swaying turned into steps, and turns and twists, until finally she was doing a full routine to this stranger's music box melody.
A fantabulous night to make romance
'Neath the cover of October skies.
On a final turn, she glanced back at him, and stopped abruptly. He was a handsome otter, of that there was no doubt. It was his bright green eyes that caught her the most. They seemed to draw her in. His back and most of his chest was covered in beautiful blonde fur, and the rest of him was more of a sand color, still as beautiful. He smiled at her before jumping from his small perch to grab her hand and kiss it. "I'm Azai Zho. But everyone calls me Zee." The young female otter smirked. This guy... was smooth. And as naive as she may be, she wasn't stupid. But so far, he hadn't said anything overly insulting or rude. Just told her to do what made her happiest... dance.
"Marlene." She said after a moments thought. He nodded, like a sort of short bow, which, for some reason, gave her butterflies in her stomach. She looked back towards the moon. It was waxing, making it look bigger and brighter than ever before. All of a sudden, she wanted to dance again. "Would you sing that song again? I want to dance."
His eyes bore into hers before closing and he repeated the four lines again, this time slower somehow, allowing her to dance and bask in the moon light as much as she liked. When he finally finished, he stepped to the water, and sat, letting his feet dangle over the edge and into the large pond. "Dance with me this time." He said. Said, not asked. However, his paw was extended and he waited patiently for her to make up her mind.
And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sound of the breezes that blow
And I'm trying to please to the calling
Of your heart-strings that play soft and low
It would be a long time later that they would both sit together and laugh about this, but as Marlene was trying to find cons to going with him, only one thought rang clear. If she didn't want to go, she wouldn't.
"How can I know if I can trust you?" She asked. Maybe Marlene was being a little bit paranoid. But she really couldn't take any chances. It wasn't like she didn't want to trust him, but she had to be sure, a hundred and ten percent. Even if that meant she had to turn him down later.
Zee bit his lip and closed his eyes. "Fair enough. You don't know me. And I don't know you." He had a point there. "How am I to know that I can trust you... right now?" A smile crossed the female's face. The guy was smart. "How do I know you weren't trying to lure me out here, just to do something unspeakable to me?" Perhaps more of a smart ass. But he made her laugh, and isn't that what mattered? Well, to her... yes.
He was still reaching out to her, eyes almost pleading. "Zee... it's getting late." As soon as she said it, however, she knew that wasn't going to fly. She was just given a look that clearly said 'Yeah, right.' An angry, cold wind blew past the pair, and Marlene turned and hugged herself to try to get warm. A few seconds later, she found she didn't really need to. Zee's arms, large and warm, were wrapped around her, keeping her safe, protected... warm.
And all the nights magic seems to whisper and hush
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush
A small, brown paw found a larger, paler one, and both otters dived into the water, letting the coldness overwhelm them. After a while, it didn't bother them anymore, and all they could think about was themselves, and their moon dance.
Any outsider's eye watching would think that, while the two otters were swimming—dancing, the moves they did, how perfectly synchronized, how equally matched they were, had to have been practiced before. But the otters knew something the humans didn't. When something felt right, and when two mammals just know... it happens. The two broke the surface, still holding hands, but closer than ever.
...
I can't wait til the morning has come
And I know now the time is just right
And straight into my arms you will run
And when you come my heart will be waiting
To make sure that you're never alone
There and then all my dreams will come true, dear
There and then I will make you my own
End
A/N 2: This was the first first FIRST idea for A Very Special Day. All of my thought processes steamed from just this little fic. Before, Marlene actually had an Asian name (Sun Ren), and she was actually in China in the wild, but certain episodes changed that. I adapt. But this has always stayed in the back of my mind, and I wasn't sure where to put it 'till now. It was supposed to be it's own idea, about Marlene before she came to the zoo, and we were going to get to see her sisters and all of that... but in my mind it changed, certain episodes changed facts... And so I made 'A Very Special Day' and it seemed to work out fine.