Power Rangers: Animarium Part IX-A Family Bond that Can't Break

by rjendo

Summary: when a pregnant clouded leopard wanders onto the Animarium, the group take her in and help deliver her babies. Then, when Brody and Levi are attacked by a bear in the woods, they are rescued by a hermit who turns out to be a long lost friend of Charlie's. The hermit regains his memory thanks to the Romero family song. Set 3 months after Part 8- Part 10 in Progress!

Power Rangers: Animarium- Part 9- A Family Bond that Can't Break
Summary: when a pregnant clouded leopard wanders onto the Animarium, the group take her in and help deliver her babies. Then, when Brody and Levi are attacked by a bear in the woods, they are rescued by a hermit who turns out to be a long lost friend of Charlie's. The hermit regains his memory thanks to the Romero family song.
Featured Characters: Brody Romero, Levi Weston (aka Aiden Romero), Cole Evans, Koda.
Set 3 months after the previous story.
"Romero Family Song" from Power Rangers Ninja Steel
"Place In This World" by Michael W. Smith
"Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden

NOTE: I do have other stories to tell with the Animarium Group. If you want the Animarium series to continue, let me know.

It was night time on the Animarium. Around the fire ring in the main temple area, a small group had gathered for some time together. Brody and Levi along with Tommy, Cole, and nine of the Dino Charge Rangers sat around the fire. Levi had been working on some songs for a new album that he was going to be performing at a benefit at the Angel Grove Children's Hospital later that month. He started strumming a few chords from the song that their father had taught them and started singing. Brody joined in:
"I'm with you, when you're far from home, still with you,
a family bond that can't break.
I chose a star, the light leads me home to be with you,
altogether, we are one.
Together we are family, every day now we grow stronger,
in our hearts always and forever.
I count on you, you can count on me.
Cause we will always, always be, family."
Tyler smiled. "Man, the kids are going to love that song. It'll probably inspire a lot of them and give them strength to get better."
Cole smiled, "Plus having the famous Levi Weston there to sing to them will be cool too." The next morning, the group was having breakfast in the main house attached to the nursery. Brody looked up and noticed something was wrong.
"Hey, wait a minute, where's Charlie? He usually doesn't miss breakfast."
Suddenly, Ty walked in, looking somber. "Charlie won't be joining us this morning."
"Why not Ty?"
"He just found out that the authorities have called off the search for his best friend Jake."
Levi looked up. "What happened to him?"
"About 6 months ago, he was on a camping trip by himself when he suddenly disappeared. Nobody found any trace of him."
"Man that stinks." Levi shook his head, remembering how he had to go into hiding after his dad disappeared and Brody was kidnapped by Galvanax.
A few hours later, Koda, Chase, Tyler, and Shelby were by the tree where they found Fang. Chase and Koda were in the branches while Tyler and Shelby were on the ground. Chase looked around, smiling.
"Hey maybe someday we should bring everybody else out here for a picnic."
Tyler smiled. "Maybe. But the temple area has such a nice setup. That fire ring is so awesome. I could stay out there all night."
Before anybody could say anything else, Koda jumped down to the ground and started smelling the air. Tyler looked at his friend.
"Koda, what is it."
"Something…coming." He looked at a spot directly ahead of them as Shelby and Chase got to their feet and stood next to their friends.
Suddenly, some grass rustled and a big cat limped forward. Chase, Shelby, and Tyler stepped back, but Koda stood his ground. Chase looked at the cat confused.
"That's a clouded leopard."
The leopard moved towards them, but strangely didn't look like it was going to attack. Koda slowly stepped forward and reached out his hand.
"It's…okay. She won't attack." The three other rangers looked at him confused, but then Shelby remembered how in tune with nature Koda was. He reached the leopard.
"I… want to… help you. Please… talk to me." He put his hand on the side of the leopard's head and put his forehead to hers. She let out low purrs and growls. He looked her in the face and nodded. He turned towards Chase.
"Chase, please. Get help. She's very weak." Chase nodded and got on his Dino Comm to the Command Chamber. Before long, Carter, Cole, and Tommy arrived in the Rescue Rover. Koda and the others had gotten the leopard to lie down on a blanket. Cole walked over and took out his stethoscope. He checked the big cat's breathing. Then his head snapped up.
"Let's get her into the truck."
Cole held the leopard's head while Koda lifted her up all by himself and gently placed her in the back of the Rover. The group piled into the truck and tore off back towards the nursery. Tommy called ahead to have Red, Nalita, and the cubs taken out to play so they could help the leopard without any disturbance. Shelby looked at Cole.
"So, Cole. What's going on with her?"
Cole looked back at the pink ranger. "She's pregnant. Very pregnant."
"Oh, my God."
A few minutes later, the group was in the nursery. Koda carried the expectant mother inside and gently placed her on the table, and then he rubbed her head.
"Don't worry. You're in good hands" Koda's reassuring words got a weak smile out of the mother. Dana rushed in and hooked up the leopard to an ultrasound. Cole took the sensor and ran it over her side. Everybody looked up at the screen while Cole smiled.
"Ok, I see one…two…three…four. Four cubs."
Shelby started to tear up with happiness. Tyler put his arm around her, smiling and fighting back tears himself. Dana disconnected the ultrasound while Cole jumped into action.
"Okay, here's the drill. Dana, you and I will be doing the actual delivery. Koda, Tyler and Shelby, I need you to help keep her calm. Chase, I need you to document this with the video camera." Chase ran out of the room to grab the video camera.

Circuit fluttered in. "What's going on?"
Cole looked up. "This leopard is about to have babies."
"WOW! Does the momma have a name?"
Cole looked at the expectant cat. "No, she doesn't."
Tyler looked at her as well. "She must have had a lot of faith that she could make it somewhere safe to have the babies."
Cole smiled. "I think that's it. Circuit, what's the Swahili word for faith?"
Circuit did a quick search. "It's Imani."
Cole looked down at the animal that was in his care. "Imani it is."
Shelby continued her job of wiping down Imani's forehead. "Can we please come up with English names for the cubs though?"
Cole smiled. "Of course." He turned to Circuit. "Circuit, can you please wait outside with the other cubs?"
Circuit fluttered out. Imani started to moan louder. Cole moved into position. "Okay, it's time."
Dana joined Cole down near Imani's tail. Koda held Imani's front left paw while Shelby continued to wipe her forehead. Tyler stroked her back while he sang part of one of his favorite songs:
"I'm looking for a reason,
roaming through the night to find my place in this world, my place in this world.
Not a lot to lean on,
I need your light to help me find my place in this world, my place in this world."
He kept singing the refrain over and over as Imani let out a loud roar. Down near the tail, Cole smiled. "It's okay, girl. The first one's coming out." The little baby rolled into a towel Dana had ready and started chirping loudly. She looked the baby over. "It's a boy. We've got our little boy!" She set him into a plastic Tupperware container lined with a towel. The tub had a little label on it saying "Male Cub"
Shelby smiled at Imani. "One down, three to go. You can do it girl." Imani let out another roar, and the second baby plopped out into the towel. Dana looked the baby over. "We have our first girl" She started to wrap the little one up and noticed a patch on her back that looked sort of flower shaped. She set the little girl into a tub labeled "Female cub 1"
Dana shouted up towards the front. "We're halfway there, Imani. Just a few more good pushes and we'll have all of our babies."
Imani started breathing hard. Koda patted her paw. "You're doing really good, Imani." Down near the tail, the 3rd cub started to emerge. Cole shouted towards the front while Dana stood by with the towel. She also had the tubs marked "Female cub 2 and Female cub 3". Cole gently reached in and pulled the next baby out. He showed Dana a little marking on the cub's front left paw. It looked like another flower. She wiped the baby off and put it in the tub.
Dana smiled and looked up. "Ok, Imani, just one more big push and we'll be all done." At the front, Shelby smiled. "We're almost there."
Imani let out a long, loud roar. Then with a huge roll, the final baby came out. Cole smiled.
"That's it, Imani! We've got them all. And they're all healthy." Dana and Cole both fought back tears. After the little ones were weighed, Cole brought them up to meet their mother, who was crying herself. Shelby continued to wipe the new mother's forehead, while also admiring the new little ones, who were chirping in their tubs. Cole saw the male cub had a little flame shaped patch of red on his front left paw. He smiled and wrote down the possibilities of names.
A week later, the new babies had grown a little bit, and the marks Cole and Dana had observed during the delivery had become a little more pronounced. The former Red Wild Force Ranger decided it was time to name the new arrivals. He sat near them, with Dana seated on a chair holding a clipboard.
"Ok, time to name the little ones." He picked up the little boy who had the flame shaped patch of red on his front left paw. "Okay, first off the male cub. He has a little flame shaped patch on his front left paw which is red in color. That reminds me of Dante's inferno, so this little guy will be called Dante." Dana wrote down the name. Kendall was watching and making notes herself. Cole placed Dante back down near his mother and sisters. He picked up the first little girl.
"Okay, now onto the females. Female cub number one has a white flower pattern on her back halfway down. The pattern sort of resembles a lily, so she will be called Lilly." Lilly chirped after he named her, as if agreeing with his choice. He smiled and set Lilly down, then picked up the next cub. "Now, female cub number two has a slight brown and reddish coloration, with little spots of white. This is a kind of ginger type coloration, so she will be called Ginger."
Dana wrote down the name, and Cole moved onto the final cub.
"Okay, now onto the last cub, female number 3. She has a flower pattern on her forehead, slightly resembling an orchid, so she will be called Orchid."
Dana wrote down the final name then looked up at Cole. "So, we've got Dante, Lilly, Ginger, and Orchid."
Cole nodded. "That's right." Suddenly Red walked in. Cole rubbed the big lion's nose.
"Red, meet your new sister Imani, your nephew Dante, and your nieces Lilly, Ginger, and Orchid." Red leaned in and nuzzled Imani and then gently licked the new arrivals.
Over the course of the day, the rest of the group got to come meet the newest member of the family. Every now and then, Levi would play a few of his more well-known songs to help the leopards feel more comfortable around them. The lion cubs and wolves were let in to see the new arrivals, but were told to be very careful.
A week later, Brody and Levi decided to take a camping trip by themselves in the Angel Grove campground so Levi could work on his music for the benefit. The two brothers had packed plenty of food and provisions and at the insistence of both their father and the other Rangers, also took their ninja coms and morphers.
The Romero brothers had just finished setting up their tent and were having lunch. Unknown to them, a hooded figure was watching them from a distance. The brothers sang the song that opened one of his biggest concerts in Summer Cove: "I'll Be There". As they finished their lunch they decided to do some training. Levi was as aerial as he had ever been, while Brody countered with the defense that their father had drilled into them.
Halfway through their training, they heard the leaves rustle. Brody looked at his older brother.
"Bro, what's that?"
Levi looked in the direction that the sound had come from, not making a sound. Suddenly, they heard a low growling sound. Brody's eyes went wide.
"Bro, please tell me that's your stomach."
Before Levi could respond, a huge bear came out of the brush and walked towards the two ninjas.
"Levi, what do we do? We can't outrun this thing!" Brody noticed his backpack which contained his communicator and morpher. He made a dive for the bag. Levi screamed for his brother.
"BRODY, NO!" but it was too late. Brody had managed to get his communicator out, but before he could activate it, the bear took a swipe that not only slashed the comm away, but also sliced open a gash in the Red Ranger's bicep. Brody collapsed to the ground, clutching his arm in pain.
Levi watched in horror as his brother went down. He knew he had to distract the big animal or Brody would certainly be on the big carnivore's menu. He went near the fire ring and picked up a stick. He rushed up behind the big bear.
"HEY! GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" He stared the bear down. The big animal turned away from Brody and stared at the Gold Ranger. The big animal charged at him, but suddenly, a hooded figure jumped in front of him, brandishing a spear. The figure started growling at the bear, his spear at the ready. The bear growled at him and then ran away. Levi turned to the stranger.
"Dude, whoever you are, thanks." He shook the stranger's hand.
"You're welcome, but we have to get out of here. That bear will be back. Get your backpacks and follow me. We'll take care of your friend back at my place." After Levi gathered the backpacks, he helped the stranger get his brother away from the campsite.
Soon, they were in the stranger's cave. Brody was lying on a cot, constantly wincing in pain. His arm was bandaged while Levi wiped his sweat covered head with a towel.
"Hang in there, bro. We'll be home before you know it." The last time he had seen his brother in this much pain was when he was poisoned by one of Galvanax's monsters. Watching them from a distance was the guy who had saved them. Finally he came over.
"You guys can rest here for as long as you need to."
Levi looked at him and nodded. "Thanks. I'm Levi, and that's my brother Brody. What's your name?"
The stranger looked down and then at the Gold Ranger. "You know, I don't remember. I don't remember much of anything from my past. The last thing I remember was I was on a camping trip in the exact spot you guys were. Then that bear came and attacked me. I managed to get away and found this cave. I went back to the campsite and got everything you see in here. I kept going back to that campsite every once in a while to try and get new food and supplies. But I would like to try and figure out my past."
Levi nodded. "I know the feeling. Hey, how about after Brody's able to walk, we take you home with us? We'll get you cleaned up a bit and get you some clean clothes, a place to stay, and some food."
The hermit looked down. "I don't know, I wouldn't want to impose."
"I know Charlie and Ty won't mind."
"Now why do those names sound familiar?"
Before Levi could respond, Brody started shivering. The hermit took the towel Levi had been using and got a fresh one. Levi looked down at his brother.
"Shhh, its ok Brody, its ok, calm down." The hermit brought the towel over, and Levi went back to wiping down his brother. He started singing a familiar song:
"I'm with you, when you're far from home, still with you,
a family bond that can't break.
I chose a star, the light leads me home to be with you,
altogether, we are one.
Together we are family, every day now we grow stronger,
in our hearts always and forever.
I count on you, you can count on me.
Cause we will always, always be, family."
The hermit smiled as Brody started to calm down. As Levi kept repeating the song, he started having vague flashbacks, seeing himself as a paramedic, hanging out with a muscular marine, helping an injured baby lion, and several other things. He approached Levi and looked at him.
"Levi, I just had some flashbacks. In one, I was hanging out with a muscular marine. Do you have a picture of that Charlie you mentioned?"
"Sure." Levi opened his wallet and pulled out a picture of the six Ninja Steel Rangers with Charlie and Tyler. He handed it to the hermit, who looked at it closely and started to see some more images in his mind, including him and Charlie laughing around a campfire, singing songs together.
"Levi, this guy looks familiar."
"You think you know Charlie?"
"Possibly. Let's get your communicator fixed so you can contact your friends."
A couple hours later, at the fire ring, Dane was sitting next to Charlie and James Navarro, fiddling with his sword.
"I'm surprised we haven't heard from the boys. They usually check in every once in a while."
James put his hand on the famous ninja's shoulder. "I'm sure they're just fine."
Suddenly, Charlie's communicator went off and Billy's voice came through. "Guys, you might want to come to the Command Chamber. All of you." Dane sheathed his sword and followed the other rangers into the base.
Billy glanced at the group as they filed in. He pushed a control on the panel.
"We picked up this signal about half an hour ago. I couldn't figure out what it was at first. But then I applied some narrow band filters and managed to get it cleaned up. Check it out." He pointed at the screen, showing some gold colored signal lines. Dane's eyes went wide.
"That's Aiden's comm frequency. Where was he transmitting from?"
Before Billy could answer, another alarm went off on the panel. "We're getting another signal coming in. Audio this time." As he tapped another control and opened the channel, Levi's voice came through loud and clear.
"Levi to Animarium, come in Animarium."
Billy opened the channel. "Levi, this is Billy. We read you loud and clear."
"Good to hear your voice, bud."
Dane walked up to the console. "Son, can you hear me?"
"I sure can, dad."
"How are you doing? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, dad. Brody got injured in a skirmish with a bear, but he's better now."
Charlie walked up to the console. "Levi, where are you guys?"
"We're in a cave about 200 kilometers east of the main campsite. Charlie, we got rescued by this hermit who seems to know you. We'd like to bring him back with us."
"Okay. You guys stay where you're at. Your dad, Tommy, and I will be out in that area soon to pick you up. Just keep your homing signal on so we can pick it up in the truck."
"Right." Billy closed the channel. Before anybody could say anything else, Charlie, Dane, and Tommy were out the door and hopped into Crusher.
Meanwhile, in the cave, Brody was now sitting up. Levi was helping the hermit pack up some stuff to take with them. "Okay guys, let's go."
The three left the cave and made their way in the direction Charlie had indicated to them. Before long, Crusher appeared on the scene. Dane was the first one out of the truck, and he rushed up and hugged his sons.
"My boys." He walked up to the hermit and extended his hand. "Thank you for saving them"
The hermit smiled back and shook the ninja master's hand. "It was my pleasure."
Charlie walked up to the stranger as Dane walked his sons to the vehicle. He looked him over and smiled. "Let's go home and get you cleaned up."
A little while later Brody and Levi were sitting around the fire ring with Charlie and their dad. Tyke, Cole, James, Tyler, and Tommy had also joined them. All three Romeros had their guitars with them. Levi looked at Charlie. "I showed him that photo from the day we arrived here. He looked like he remembered you."
Charlie looked at the fire, wondering if their hero could be his long lost friend.
Levi looked up and put his hand on Charlie's hand. "Charlie, look."
Billy walked up to the fire ring with their hero now completely clean shaven, with his hair tied into a ponytail.
Charlie's eyes went wide open and stood up. "Jake. Is that… is that you?"
Jake nodded. "Yep, it sure is. You can thank your friends there. I might have rescued them from the lion, but in a sense, they rescued me. Their song brought it all back."
Levi smiled, remembering how the song had done the same for him. Dane pulled out his guitar.
"How about some singing?"
Tyke smiled. "What are we going to sing?"
Levi smiled at the excited little guy. "A really special song."
Jake smiled as he sat next to Charlie, who put his arm around the shoulder of his long-lost friend. Dane strummed his guitar to start the song off and his sons joined in, followed by the rest of the group around the fire.
"I'm with you, when you're far from home, still with you,
a family bond that can't break.
I chose a star, the light leads me home to be with you,
altogether, we are one.
Together we are family, every day now we grow stronger,
in our hearts always and forever.
I can count on you, you can count on me.
Cause we will always, always be, family."