Four words…
I AM SO SORRY.
I really feel bad about leaving this story hanging for a week, and all my faithful reviewers! THANK YOU AGAIN. It's just that eighth grade consists of two things; lectures and lots of homework. But that's just my first impression. Hopefully it'll be better…?
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Raven massaged her temples. After the ninth try, contacting Garfield seemed like a waste of time.
Wherever he was, it was definitely far from the Tower. Maybe the other side of the continent, or the other side of the world for all she knew. It was all the same—she couldn't contact him.
But Raven wasn't ready to give up the little grass stain, probably a big grass stain now. After five years, it was definitely time to see him again.
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Garfield entered the zoo, his hands in his pockets, fidgeting with his wallet and rental car keys. Breezing past the droves of parents and little kids, he walked toward the African exhibit.
Staring at all the grazing animals wasn't making him any happier, so he pressed on to the giraffes. They weren't his favorite animals; they were just enlarged, spotted toothpicks with blue tongues. They had no defense mechanisms, let alone offensive techniques.
Turning to the woman next to him, Garfield asked, "Excuse me, would you know where the monkeys are?"
The woman turned and replied, "Do you mean monkeys or lemurs?"
Garfield looked at her quizzically. "Lemurs?"
The woman smiled. "They're like monkeys, but they come from Madagascar. Did you see that movie?"
Garfield shook his head. He had never heard of Madagascar, or the movie. But he thanked the woman anyways and tried to find these "lemurs."
Backtracking then turning right, he walked down a paved path and saw a large enclosure to his right. A small river sat in front, and he saw monkey-like animals running around.
They were something of cute, with their tails shaved differently. There were red ones, grey ones, black-and-white ones. All were comical and ecstatic.
Garfield liked the lemurs.
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After meandering some more, he came across the otters. There were only two, but they had the best habitat so far. Two ponds, linked by a waterfall, were littered with multicolored toys. The otters were chasing each other, back and forth, having the time of their lives. Just like any other day.
Garfield examined them, watching them play. Life was simple for them; they had never known what life was like out of the zoo. They didn't know what the wild was like, what dangers it had, and what tests it proposed. They had no idea what a battlefield was; they didn't have to defend any loved ones.
Garfield sighed. This was supposed to keep him away from worries.
He sighed again. Perhaps trying out their life might take his mind away from such thoughts.
Focusing his mind on the otters, he saw himself shifting into one. He felt his body shrink and lengthen. He saw the green-furred body and the webbed feet. Then he clambered up the railing and belly-flopped in.
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Three days later
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Raven awoke with a yawn. She stretched her arm and pulled her alarm clock closer. 6:13, it read. Why so early?
She groaned and threw back the covers. Wrapping a fresh white cloak around her, she tiptoed out to the living room.
Still groggy, she rubbed her eyes. The blinds were thrown back, and the room was flooded in the new sunlight. Cyborg was sitting at the couch, his eyes glued to the screen.
Dragging his gaze from the TV, Cyborg gave Raven a sleepy hello and then said, "Breaking news from San Fran."
Raven looked at the screen, and her heart skipped a beat.
A picture of a grinning, green river otter was in the middle, and a savvy female voice said, "This morning, we received breaking news from San Francisco. The San Francisco Zoo has had an unexpected arrival from a mysterious river otter. It appeared at roughly 2 o'clock three days ago, and it is reported to be green. More to come at a later hour."
Raven's mouth was slightly hanging open and Cyborg said grimly, "So the little grass stain isn't such a grass stain now. He's furry."
Raven was mute as she sank onto the couch next to Cyborg. He patted her shoulder and said in a reassuring way, "Its okay, Raven. I think he'd be more fun to smooch with furry lips."
Raven's lip curled in disgust and she gave him such a death glare that he pulled his arm away.
"Don't deny it till you try it," he said mysteriously and left to the kitchen, leaving Raven to ponder.
Garfield was an otter now? Did he like it? Was he sending some encrypted message or something? Was he asking for Raven to come and see him? Or was this just some ploy to get them fired up again? Perhaps it was another, more complex prank of his.
Raven seethed at the thought, but it was most likely true. There was some comfort in knowing that Garfield hadn't changed in the past five years. Was he still Beast Boy, with a mature edge? Raven could easily see herself liking him that way, but her hopes were too high. If she learned anything, it was not to get her hopes high.
She smelled breakfast burritos from the kitchen and heard Cyborg holler, "Call Richard and Starfire up! I've got plenty for everyone!"
Raven got up and dialed their number. After a little small-talk with Starfire, Raven hung up and went to get properly dressed for breakfast with company.
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Okay, I realize it's short, but gimme space! I'll give you something short of a masterpiece once this is done! (wanders off to ponder how to do that)
Oh, and I LOVE OTTERS! They were my favorite animal a couple years ago. I remember wishing for a pet otter. Then I remember crying because I didn't get one in the ten minutes after. Go ahead and laugh. It's supposed to be funny.
I try too hard sometimes. (boohoo)
Remember to Review!
-Midnight-
