Sam panicked at the grip on her wrist, and Delila jumped to the ground, becoming a lioness, roaring.
"Let me go!"
She heard a snap, and cried out as pain coursed through her arm like fire scorching her veins.
"Sam!!!" Lilly cried out worriedly, Anexa fluttering anxiously.
"You let her go or I swear to the lord, you'll wish you'd never even been conceived." Angel threatened.
She was protective, true, and defended her friends and brothers not only physically, but emotionally.
Sam stopped the tears, about to lash out.
"What's my faulty experiment doing out of the lab?"
She froze, trying to move away.
"G-Get away from me…"
Delila withered, becoming a beagle.
The man smirked.
"Unfortunately, you have to come back to the lab. There's a punishment for running away."
Mouser's came out of the ground, and Angel slid into a defensive stance as the other daemon jumped out of the shadows.
Sam panicked, her eyes turning yellow, claws growing as white tiger ears appeared on her head.
"LET GO!!!!"
She punched him, making him fly back as Delila became a large white tigress, roaring.
Sam clutched her head in pain, fighting back the beast inside her, clawing at her ribcage like a wild animal caught in a cage too small for it.
'Stop it!! Please!!! I don't want to!!!'
'Let me out!!!!!! Let me out!!!!!!!'
The roaring voice screamed in her head, making her fangs grow in.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!"
She lashed out at the Mouser's coming at her, cutting them to ribbons, when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Sam?"
Her head moved up, and Delila showed her worried face in her mind's eye.
She calmed down as the pain decreased, as did the screaming voice. Her fangs and claws disappeared, as did her tiger ears, and her head swam.
"A-Angel…"
"Sam? Sam, are ya okay?"
Her worried voice drifted through Sam's mind as she fell back.
"SAM!!!!!!"
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sam woke up with a headache, her ears pounding painfully. She felt warmth on her hand, and Delila lifted her wary wildcat head to see Mikey sleeping there, holding her hand.
'Aw…he's so sweet…'
Delila lay on the bed as a light grey cat, sharp green eyes looking around. Sam squeezed Mikey's hand, smiling softly.
"Hey, Mikey. Get up, sleepy head. Rise and shine."
She heard a small groan as he started waking up, slowly but surely.
"Sammy?" He asked sleepily, his surfer accent slurred.
She smiled.
"Hey, Mike."
A huge grin crossed his face like sunshine, and he hugged her tight.
"I'm so happy you're awake!!!"
"Whoa! Was I really out of it so long?"
"A day or so, really…"
That's when shouted voices reached their ears from the family room.
"If ya hadn't gone, this wouldn't have happened, Angel!!!!"
"Like I knew this was gonna happen!!! Give me a break, Raph!!!!"
"Ya could've at least brought yer weapons!!!"
"To a BAR?! Are ya CRAZY?!"
Sam sat up and, with Mikey's help, got out of bed. Mikey supported her weight as Delila went ahead as a wildcat.
"Hey, guys!!!! Sorry if I caused any trouble…"
Everybody looked up from the fight, even the participants, to give her concerned, relieved looks.
"Yer okay!"
Angel hugged her, careful of the wrist Don had bandaged up.
Andy looked at the girl seriously.
"What happened, anyway?"
Mikey felt Sam tense against his side, and Delila flinched slightly. He started rubbing soothing circles into her back, helping her relax.
"It's a long story…"
They waited for her to sit down, Delila on her lap, before she started.
"…Like most people with a daemon, we were separated at a young age…but, apparently, I was special…something about my blood, I think…"
She sighed.
"I could see…when they did that experiment on me…"
Mikey, sitting next to her, put a comforting hand on Delila's head.
"…They injected me with strange animal DNA…something in it so that it would modify my body…"
Delila whimpered.
"Luckily, it was a success, and I suddenly became one of his favorites…I got stronger, faster…but there was an…unexpected side effect…"
Delila nuzzled Mikey's hand, wanting comfort.
"…It's like whenever I start changing…this…darkness tries to take over…like the animal's rage is inside me, trying to get out and just…"
She closed her eyes.
"…I don't want to think…"
Delila whimpered, becoming a little beagle puppy.
"One of my tests was to fight another experiment, but…let's just say she held a grudge…"
Delila looked up with sad eyes.
"She threw poison dust…it got in my eyes before I could react…and everything was…dark…"
Mikey put an arm around her shoulders comfortingly, looking sympathetic.
Sam smiled slightly before continuing.
"It takes a while to adjust to the world when you can no longer see it, but Stockman isn't exactly the patient type…He did thousands of tests to try and bring back my sight, but none of the worked…He started losing his temper when I didn't do something as well as before…that's when the beatings started…"
Mikey tensed, anger flashing through his bright blue eyes.
'How dare he?! I'll get him back for hurting her!!'
"They weren't horrible…I'd usually come out with bruises and cuts…when he was really angry, something would snap…"
She fingered the bandages on her wrist.
"My arms and legs have been broken more times than I can count…and don't get me started on the ribs and hands…"
She looked up, eyes shimmering.
"…I was lucky enough to get away four years ago…when I was fifteen, no one saw me as a threat…what could the little blind girl do? It's not like she can hurt us…"
Contempt filled her voice at that, a fire in her eyes almost making it seem like she could see.
"But I showed them…beat the snot out of them and got out of there…then I met my sensei…"
She relaxed.
"He was kind…understanding…he didn't care that I had a daemon…he only trained me harder…"
She looked downward.
"But he was old…he died a year ago…he was like the father I'd never had…"
A furry hand rested on her shoulder.
"He would be proud of you."
She nodded.
"Thank you, Master."
Delila purred slightly, her tail swishing from side to side.
"That's why ya panicked so bad…" Angel noted.
"Yeah…when I'm scared or angry, I start transforming…I think that's what made me panic more than anything…"
She put a hand on Mikey's, and Delila purred as she nuzzled the turtle's leg, her fur rippling a lighter color.
Mikey blushed crimson, as did Sam, but neither moved.
"I won't let him hurt you…"
The orange-banded turtle looked at her bandaged wrist.
"Not again…"
She nodded slightly, squeezing his hand.
"…Thanks…"
'…It's nice to know you'll be there…'