I've Always Been Here 7
Aisha growled as she looked at Tommy. The others held up their hands to show her it was her call now on what to do. She wanted so badly to hit him so hard he'd feel it for awhile but that would have to wait. Her first concern was Kimberly and her fading health.
"Get him up while I try to get the bleeding to stop," she growled to the others.
The former Yellow Ranger went into healing mode and started to try and staunch the bleeding but there was only so much they could do. Kimberly needed a vet that specialized in non-domesticated animals but due to her wings she couldn't take her to a normal vet. She could hear the others finally getting their fearless leader up, but like an utter failure he fell back unconscious. Even in her own mind at the fearless leader part her voice was dripping with sarcasm at that point. The guys weren't having any luck getting him up so she walked over him and told Adam to keep the bandage pressed to her wound. He took her place. In anger she reached down and yanked him up by the front of his shirt and slammed her fist against his opposite cheek to where Kimberly hit him so he'd have matching bruises. His eyes fluttered a bit.
"You need to get up now," she growled.
His eyes shot open. Aisha had to jump backwards as Tommy sat up in a rush. He looked around wildly as if he was trying to remember something. Looking around frantically he saw Snow laying on her side bleeding profusely. Her breathing was getting shallower. He scrambled to her side. Her tired eyes came open and focused on him before closing again. He was afraid to touch her. She looked at the others worriedly. Then an idea, a small chance, hit Aisha at that moment that may be the solution to help Kimberly.
"Tommy I have an idea."
He looked up at her. There as a small measure of hope in his eyes. Aisha knew there was some small hope for the idiot yet. The others gathered closer wondering what the yellow ranger had in mind.
"Remember when we saved Zordon with our power?" Aisha started.
Realization dawned upon him as it did for the previous Ninjetti Rangers, only Kat was confused. Tommy rose slowly.
"Let's morph guys," Tommy said in his leader no-nonsense voice.
Kat was confused but did as Tommy said. They soon stood in their Zeo colors. He hoped that this still worked even with the Zeo powers. "Form a circle around her and concentrate on maker her better."
The group formed a circle around her and raised their hands above their heads till the tip of their fingers touched. Their eyes slid shut as they focused their Zeo powers into healing the downed fox. For a moment nothing happened, but then a small light formed around the white fox. They poured energy into the dying fox until a blinding light knocked them into the walls. As they slid to the ground they de-morphed. Once the light cleared a very angry fox stood there. Her hackles were raised and her fangs were bared. What Tommy noticed was that her eyes were crimson instead of blue. He took a step towards her which turned her crimson gaze to him. Hot angry red met confused and emotional brown. Her curled lips twitched as she watched him. When the others rose she snarled at them.
"Snow," Tommy called in a soothing manner.
She snarled at Aisha as she took a step towards them. Her crimson gaze was kept trained on everyone that so much as twitched the wrong way. Soft growls were escaping her to keep them from moving forward. Kimberly fanned her wings out sending a gust of wind knocking every Ranger but Tommy down.
'Come,' she growled in his mind.
She walked out the front door and he followed. The fox stopped once she was off the porch. Her form grew bigger. The sun light through the trees dappled her moon white fur with a gray leaf pattern. The wounds on her body were gone but there was still blood on her fur.
'Come fly again falcon.'
Something, deep within him, told him that he could trust her even in this state. He hauled himself up on her back. She shot skyward once he was settled. A familiar power washed over them as they vanished. They appeared on a familiar platform. Tommy looked around and there was no Dulcea to greet them. She moved forward and leapt off the cliff without warning him. She was moving so rapidly he had to bury his face against her shoulder to stop the wind from hurting his eyes. When she landed he looked up and around himself. It was the great pyramid. The coin on the face was blank, unlike the first time where it bore their animals. He slid off her back and rested his hand on her neck. She wouldn't look at him.
"Why did you bring me here?"
She collapsed sideways and before he could panic she rose as the Silver Fox Ranger. Her eyes were trained on the pyramid.
"You should've let me go Tommy," she growled.
Even now there was the animalistic gravelly tone in her voice.
"I can't do that."
He eyed her exhausted form. Even though she stood firm to project the image it wasn't getting by him that her front legs were trembling a bit. Tommy needed to know how she'd known Annabelle was dangerous. "You knew she was dangerous before now didn't you?"
"Yes," she whispered. "Even before I left for Phaedos."
"Why didn't…"
"It's not like you could've heard me at the time, nor would you have believed me."
"How did you know?"
"Instinct. Any time I'm near evil I get this feeling which makes me restless and irritable. Zordon called it a sixth sense."
Tommy looked around the clearing again. He closed his eyes and let the memories of the past visit to this place to wash over him. She watched him carefully. Then her gaze turned to the pyramid, and she too remembered. It made a lot of things hurt inside of her.
"How do you know Dulcea?" his voice rang out startling her from her trip down memory lane.
"Through Zordon, same as you."
She paced around the clearing a moment before returning to his side. "Come on Tommy let's head back before the others start to think I killed you."
He moved forward without warning and cupped her face in his hands. His brown eyes met her confused blues.
"You remind me of someone very important to me."
His voice a had softened a bit as he spoke to her now. She tried to pull away but he held tight. "When will you tell me your human name?"
"Never, my name isn't important anymore. You are destined for great things and I won't stand in the way."
"You're so sure of yourself aren't you?"
"I'm never sure of anything Tommy except my drive to protect you."
"Why me and not the others?"
She knew he was tenacious but this was bordering ridiculous. He wouldn't drop the subject even if it killed him, and she might just as well if he triggered the wrong emotions in her. Dulcea had warned her that being controlled by her emotions could bring out the animal inside and it could have negative effects on her.
"I have my reasons and that will be the end of this conversation."
Kimberly knew this could get out of hand really fast so she decided to stop the fight before it even started. She didn't like being reminded that everything she'd wanted in life was taken from her in an instant by a selfish witch bent on revenge. "Leave it at that."
"That's not good enough."
She jerked away from him and in two steps she was in her smaller fox form. Her fangs were bared slightly. Her eyes were flashing slightly.
'A leader you maybe but you have to know when to back down. Not everyone is hiding something dangerous when they refuse to answer your questions.'
He glared at her.
"It seems to be a big deal because some people know and not me."
'Only four people know who I am under this white fur.'
"As the leader of the team, one of them should've been me."
Hurt and anger raced through her form again. It all came back to trust and faith, and his demands spoke of little trust. And at this stage of the game it hurt more than anything any villain had ever done to her even Rita turning her into a fox.
'Are you really that selfish to think that I'd hide my human name from you just to hurt you?'
He was taken aback by her words. 'I hide my human name because I have to. I'll be dead in a couple of years whether you like it or not. I'm here to help you in any way I can without being a burden. If I trouble you so much I can return here to Phaedos an hand Dulcea the power back," she snarled. 'Then I would vanish into the forest to die like I should've done years ago.'
She turned her back on him and before she could take a step he had her in his arms, her back to his chest. His face was buried in between her wings. Something wet was sliding down her fur. She closed her eyes as his pain became hers. It shook her a bit but she shrugged it off. He had to admit to her that he was wrong to demand such things from her.
"Stay," he whimpered. "You're a part of the team. We need you."
That wasn't the answer she was looking for. She just wanted to sleep. Everything hurt like nothing else but the thing that hurt the most was her heart. He used to know her so well once upon a time, but now she was nothing more than an animal to him. She was like a stray pulled off the streets. Kimberly wormed her way into his heart again, and yet there was wariness in the back of his mind that screamed warning. He was waiting for her to turn around and bite. Though nothing in her could harm him though the punch she'd thrown earlier hadn't counted.
'That's not a good enough answer Tommy. I know that you'll be needed again sometime soon. I will try to last that long, but I cannot guarantee anything for you.'
She went limp in his arms.
"What can I say to make you stay?"
'Nothing at this point.'
"There's something deep inside that driving me to make sure you stay close. Telling me that I need you."
Her head fell back against his shoulder. She heard a soft keening sound coming from the deepest recesses of her mind. At that moment she cursed and thanked Zordon for using pieces of power from the Falcon.
"Let's go home," she murmured softly.
A breath of air escaped him in relief as she agreed to come back with him. He owed her a great deal, and he would spend however long it takes to make it up to her.
