History
Disclaimer: Me own Power Rangers? Very unlikely.
A/N: Takes place during "Homecomings."
There were days when she forgot that he wasn't from this time. He was unlike any person she had ever met but he was so familiar to her.
Maybe it was because even in the beginning he had been present in her dreams. Maybe it was because she knew him better than she had ever known anyone. She knew how well he knew her. He could read her emotions in a mere blink of the eye.
He was closed off. Whoever said no man is an island hadn't met Merrick. Merrick made it clear that he didn't need anyone. He had a duty. He was Shayla's protector and that was the role he served in the group.
Maybe that was what was nagging Alyssa. Merrick had come to protect Shayla and Kite. They all would've died for the princess but Merrick had made it his sacred duty to protect her.
It made Alyssa uneasy how friendly Merrick acted towards Shayla. Alyssa had to live off of half smiles and watching eyes. Shayla got to see Merrick laugh and smile every time he approached her. It wasn't fair.
Shayla and Merrick had gone alone to the Wildzord tomb to pay their respects. Shayla understood the days when Merrick went out to be alone.
"It's an Animarian ritual," Shayla said quietly. "We must respect our chosen animals during their sacred times. Merrick is a wolf and since it is the wolves mating season he has gone to see the packs."
Alyssa understood after all she was a tigress. She could feel her animal call to her more during certain times of the year. It was then that she would go to the zoo and sit outside the tiger pens for days. Still Shayla seemed to understand more.
Merrick was tired. Three days alone with the wolves had been exhausting. The half-grown pups had taken it upon themselves to adopt Merrick. They would jump on him and play for hours. He had been used as the headrest for many a pup.
Never before had he missed humans so much during that time. Before he had been grateful just to be with the wolves away from the conflicts of humanity. He had loved every moment away from his family and his tribe. Now his mind turned fiercely towards humanity.
He entered the roadhouse expecting to find the familiar figure sitting at the bar. Her dark hair would be pouring over her face as she filled out her schoolwork. Her eyes would focus on the book before her but as soon as she sensed him she would turn and smile. Her smile was more beautiful then any full moon he had ever seen. Her voice was the soft sweetness that a mother wolf uses towards her pup and he had longed to hear it.
Instead he found Shayla smiling and waiting for him.
"How were the packs?" she asked smiling.
"There aren't as many as there used to be," he answered stoically.
"Oh Merrick the world has changed. When I first saw those big buildings I wondered how such a thing could be created," she said imagining the giant skyscrapers.
"We can not go back to the world we know," he replied.
"I know Animara is gone. We are the last survivors. Our world faded as all worlds do."
"We can not bring it back either. What happened back there is the past."
"Not everything has to stay in the past," Shayla replied hopefully.
"Sometimes the past should stay dead," he answered his cold eyes meeting her warm ones.
Maybe what bothered Alyssa was that Shayla and Merrick had history. They had grown up together. They were from the same world. Alyssa would be a fool if she believed that Merrick loved her world.
She had seen his eyes when he was in the city. She had seen that plain bitterness that loomed over him. He missed his home, his time, his past. His present was a jumble.
The world was a chaotic place. Man was separated from nature. The wolf and the man were enemies. It was a strange and cruel place for a man who had the spirit of the wolf so embedded in him. As a child Merrick had preferred to be alone with the pups than to stand with his family.
He had grown up like a tumble-thrown pup. He had understood the singing of the wind, the rising of the moon, and the call of the packs. Now he had to understand the city with its cold stone walls. Here man was the dominator, and shaper of the world.
He had tied to forget all that had happened to him. He had tried to forget his father's cold words. He had tried to forget his mother's gentle lullaby. He had tried to forget Zen Aku but he could forget that sin.
The encounter a few weeks earlier had just reminded him of what he tried to forget. Now Shayla stood in front of him with her outstretched hand. She was offering him a piece of his past to cling out. She has offering him his history.
He tried to look at her. Part of him wanted to go back to what was but he couldn't. It wasn't Shayla's face that haunted his dreams.
He turned his back on her and walked out of the roadhouse.
Alyssa was alone at the Animarium. She had spent a large part of her day with White Tiger. Sometimes she felt easier after she spoke to her zord.
Strong arms hugged her from behind. She turned to see the face of her friend. Inside she was shaking as she leaned further into Merrick.
"What are you doing here?" he asked softly.
"I wanted to be alone. I thought maybe Princess Shayla would be here but she wasn't," Alyssa answered.
He just remained silent.
His world was gone. He would have to write his own destiny.
Alyssa realized that while Shayla and Merrick had the history, she alone was the one he called friend. Perhaps maybe they too would develop a bond.
The past is written in stone. Who knows what the future will bring?
To be continued….