The Way Things can Change
Chapter One
Merrick was practicing his Pool Cue shot when a few bikers came in, acting like hooligans. They acted the same as the ones who had come in the first day that he'd been in the real world as Merrick, not Zen-aku. He was about to throw them out as well, but there were wolf whistles as another customer came in.
She was wearing a leather jacket and black biker boots, with a pair of black jeans. Her hair was done up in a ponytail and her eyes glowed with a fire that wasn't the usual. It was like she had gone through more in a lifetime than most people would.
'Not as much as I,' he thought.
She walked up to Willie and asked what kind of food they serve. After he answered she ordered the same thing that he'd had on his first day.
"Hey, baby. What do you say we get a room, hey?" one of the bikers said as he came up behind and was about to wrap an arm around her waist when she said,
"Touch me and you'll regret it."
"Oh, the little lady has a temperament!" another of the bikers said, laughing.
"No one talks to me like that you little-- " the guy number one said as he was about to get payback, only to get thrown out the door-- with a single swipe of her hand on the girl's part.
Guy number two got up and motioned to her to follow him outside. Instead, she just turned around and was about to take a bite of her food when he tried to punch her.
Rolling her eyes, she caught his punch and flipped over him. Twisting his arm behind his back she shoved him out the door and into his friend, who had been about to come back in.
She shook her head then sat back down in her seat.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" Willie asked as she took a bite of her food.
"It's better that you didn't know. Just suffice to say that I learned it a long time ago. And it comes in handy in my line of work."
Willie nodded and let it drop. Then a shout came from outside, and the girl turned her head to look.
"Those idiots," she said as she took in the fact that there was a wolf almost biting the hand off of Guy number 1. Guy number 2 tried to hit the wolf on the head with a crowbar, but ended up hitting his friend with it instead.
The man howled in pain and the wolf let go and turned its attention to the other guy, who kicked at it.
"Big mistake," she said as she took a drink of her root beer.
"You know that wolf?"
"Zen-ame? She's a friend. I found her when she was a pup and she's been following me around ever since. Despite the fact that I've given her several chances to run free. Maybe it's the fact that she likes T.V."
"She watches T.V.?"
"Well, it looks like she watches T.V. I don't know if she really does, but-" There was a storm of growling, then a loud bang as one of the two men apparently ran in to the trash bin and the lid shut.
"She seems to like taking out the trash for some reason," she noted absently.
"What's your name by the way?"
"Ana. Ana Mal Lya."
Merrick's head shot up. 'Ana…Mal…Lya…? AnaMaLya… That can't be…'
"Willie, I'm going out for a while."
With that he headed out, trying to gather his thoughts.
'She couldn't have survived…I held her as she died…Maybe it's a reincarnation…'
He didn't realize where he was going, until his Lunar Caller beeped.
"Merrick, are you alright? You seem to be in a daze," Princess Shayla asked, concern evident in her voice.
"Is it possible that Ana could have been brought back? Like Animus?" he asked softly, his heart aching at the thought of the woman he had loved more than anything, She was why he continually fought. Just like 3,000 years ago…
"I…I believe so. Merrick, I found the Saber-tooth Tiger Crystal on my way back to the Animarium this morning. The only way it could be revealed is if she's alive and put it there. Why?"
"I just saw someone who had her name. The only difference was that it was divided into three names."
Shayla gasped as the meaning of the words sunk in. "She must know that I was awakened and that the Orgs have returned. She might be here to help. Unless…"
"Unless what?"
"Unless she has no memory of what happened 3,000 years ago."
Merrick's breath hitched. 'Not remember? How could she not remember how much I cared for her? How much we cared for each other? Could she have asked for it in order to forget the horror of the war?'
"Merrick, there's an Org attacking the park. The others need your help."
Jerked from his thoughts, he responded, "I'm on my way," and ran, shoving his heart away from the task at hand.
A few minutes later all six of the Rangers were lying on the ground, about to be defeated, when there was a howl of war and a warrior beat the Org away, with something that seemed similar to the sword Merrick had used before becoming a Ranger.
Other than wearing black and being—ahem, a girl—the uniform was similar and though the stance was foreign, she was strong enough to drive the Trash Can Org back several feet.
"It has to be her…"Merrick whispered, as he struggled to get up.
"Her, who?" Taylor asked confused.
"The one fighting the Org. There's only been person in existence with that kind of power, other than Animus."
"Who?" Alyssa asked.
"The Crystal Guardian. Princess Shayla's elder sister."
"Princess Shayla has a sister?" Danny asked, confused.
"That's right, Bison," a new voice said, entering the conversation.
They looked up to see a woman with strange marks on her face walking towards them, the remains of the defeated Org in her hand.
"Bison?"
"That's your Animal Crystal isn't it?"
"Yeah…"
"I've always called the Guardians by their Crystals, unless I knew them before they were Guardians. Like Merrick."
Said person had a look on his face that said that he was glad to her yet… was confused to see her there.
"How?" he asked, his brow furrowing.
"There are ways, Merrick," she said softly, giving him a slight smile.
He was about to step forward, when she turned. "I have to go. But this won't be last time we meet Rangers. I'll always be around to help whenever you really need it," she said before vanishing in a flash.
Merrick looked like he was about to try and run after her, but instead he turned on is heel and walked towards the woods, his head down.
Max was about to call after him, but Cole stopped him.
"Let him go. He needs to think about this. I can tell that seeing that woman hit him hard. Harder than being trapped with Zen-aku. She really meant a lot to him."
"Let's go ask Princess Shayla about him," Taylor suggested.
While they sat listening to Shayla's explanation, Merrick was walking through the woods, remembering the woman he had loved.
(Flashback-Merrick's P.O.V.)
I had just been told that I was to be Princess Shayla's Guardian. The others were walking with us, when there was a howl. We told the princess to run, but she seemed to recognize the call of the wolf.
"She's a messenger," she insisted, before taking off and running to where the howls were coming from.
We had no choice but to follow her as best as we could. We stopped when we reached a clearing and there was a surprise waiting there for us.
In the center of the clearing there was a large rock with a girl who looked to be a little older than the princess sitting on it, playing a melody on a flute.
"That's why the wolf was howling. She was singing along with the flute," one of my friends commented.
Princess Shayla seemed to know her as she approached.
"Ana?"
The girl, 'Ana', stopped playing and turned. Her eyes were sharp and had the experience of the world it seemed. Her hair seemed to have the very essence of night caught in it, and it flowed like spun moonbeams over her shoulders as she turned.
"Shayla," she greeted with a nod of her head, brown eyes softening slightly.
"Father chose my Guardian today."
"Who?"
"Merrick Baliton. He has the-"
"Wolf, Alligator, and Hammerhead crystals. You forget that living in the forest, I regularly speak with the Wild Zords, even the Deer," she said, light laughter present, as she tilted her head.
"Princess?" the Walrus Guardian asked, tentatively entering the conversation. "Are we allowed to know her name?"
"Of course. How rude of me. This is my elder sister, Anamalya. She should be the princess, but our father chose me instead. I do not know why."
"It's because of the fact that I am friends with the Wild Zords, not just someone to protect them. That and the fact that I'm more powerful that him even without that detail really gets his goat. When I was old enough, he sent me out here, hoping that the 'real' animals would kill me. He apparently never thought that I'd make friends with them too."
We could only stare in shock at the person who had been sent to death by her own father…
(End Flashback, with Rangers and Shayla)
"So that woman who defeated the Org, that was your sister? For sure? It couldn't be a trick?" Taylor asked.
"Only she had that power. What confuses me is that she did not use the power of the crystals to destroy the Org. I think that she might have been reincarnated, and is only just starting to remember."
"Is that what has Merrick in such a funk?"
"Yes. After he and the others met her, we would often go to hear her play for the animals. Even a Zord that few saw, even in passing, listened to her from a concealed location. All living creatures enjoyed it, especially when she sang. She would play while I sang, or by herself."
"Did Merrick care for her?"
"Yes. They cared for each other. She died during the war, Merrick changed afterwords."
"Well, when someone you care about dies in a war..."
"It was even worse. He held her as she died."
Everyone winced in sympathy. It would be bad enough to know that your significant other had died, it would be even worse to have held that other. Poor Merrick, no wonder he was so closed off.
"What if she hadn't died? I mean, what if she had only been thought to have died to protect those she cared about, to make sure that there was a way to protect the future?" Alyssa asked.
"I do not think that that is possible. We tried to revive her after Merrick had left to grieve. That was when he was sealed as Zen-aku."
"But all things are possible Princess. You only need to believe," a deep voice said from above them.
"Animus. Has she returned?"
"Yes. I ensured that her spirit would not die, but be born within another. It is time her new self was revealed. Merrick must be called," the deep voice of the living Zord said from the sky, before a light appeared, revealing Kite.
"I think I might know where he is, but I'll call him anyway."
(With Merrick in the forest)
'How could she have survived? Why is she back now? Who is she? Is she even still-what is that sound?' Listening a little more closely, he realized that he was hearing a flute. Wondering who would play on the middle of a forest, he decided to investigate.
A few minutes later, he saw the girl, Ana, with her wolf, Zen-ame, sitting in a rock as she wove a melody that seemed to draw some woodland creatures to her feet. He closed his eyes as a wave of pain came. It was emotional, not physical. He remembered how his Lya had been able to do the same thing…even the Zords loved her songs.
"Who's there?" came a voice unexpectedly. He looked up to see Ana standing with her hand in her pocket as she looked his way. He was mesmerized by the fierceness in her eyes. She was like the modern version of his beloved Lya. Oh, how he missed her...
With that thought he stepped from behind the tree and she relaxed slightly. "Who are you?"
"Merrick. I work at Willie's. I was about to deal with those guys when you came in. Thank you for saving me the energy."
"For some reason I feel like I should know you. Then again, I do have the ability to talk to animals. Is that your phone?" she asked as his Luner Caller went off.
"Yeah. See you around. I enjoyed the song."
"Thanks. I just come up wih them. Then I always remember. Later."
As he walked away, he could hear her start to talk to Zen-ame. There was the slight sound of growling as he answered. "Yeah?"
"Merrick, you need to return to the Animarium. Animus has something that he needs to tell all of us," Shayla said.
"I'll be right there."