Tellion stared out the small window as the bus rolled along towards the Gardens. The loud noise of many children talking behind her were doing a lot to distract her thoughts. She wasn't used to so much visual and verbal interaction in such an enclosed space. Among them she knew that Ellaine was sitting with her friends, adding to that noise. Part of her wished that she could be sitting with 'her' little sister since they hadn't interacted in a long time. But Tellion knew that in such a situation, her taking away Ellaine's time with her friends wouldn't likely be accepted. As it was, Tellion was confined to the front of the bus with the few other adults that had chosen to accompany the school grade to the Gardens that day.
She still felt immense guilt for appearing to have abandoned Mark in a time when he clearly needed her to be there for him. But as much as her feelings for him consumed much of what had become of her, Tellion wasn't able to cast aside her Yeerk instincts of knowing that sometimes a greater need had to be sought after in exchange. And underneath her semi-true façade of wanting to spend time with 'her' little sister, Tellion desperately needed this scouting mission. Without other, more versatile and more importantly, stronger, morphs she was still almost as useless as she had always been. She was so immersed in her plans for acquiring new morphs that she wasn't aware that the woman just across from her was addressing her directly. Tellion pushed away from her planning and looked to her.
"Excuse me?"
"You're Susan, Ellaine's older sister, right?" the woman asked.
"Um…yes…" Tellion replied, not knowing how this stranger knew about her.
The woman gave a friendly smile to her. "I'm sorry I didn't say something earlier. I'm Gabriella."
She pointed back to where Ellaine was sitting with another girl and were clearly enjoying conversing with each other.
"That's my daughter Bianca." Gabriella said. "She and Elliane have become really good friends the last couple of months once school started."
"Oh…" Tellion said, feeling strange upon seeing Elliane so happy without it involving her. But she had to remind herself that Susan's little sister did have a life of her own that didn't revolve around her.
"She…meantioned what had happened to you, the accident and everything…" Gabriella said.
"I try not to think about it too much." Tellion answered truthfully, glancing out the window for a moment before turning her attention back to the woman attempting to converse with her.
Gabriella gave her a worried look.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such a bad topic."
"It's alright." Tellion told her. "I get asked about it a lot. People are just curious."
"Do you…"
"No." Tellion cut her off. "I don't remember anything from before the accident. It's all just a void to me."
"Wow," Gabriella whispered, her eyes falling to the floor, "I don't know how I could go through something like that. Just waking up one day and not remembering anything that I did through my whole life up until that point. It would almost be like dying."
It's truer than you could ever imagine. Tellion thought.
"I suppose that's kind of true." Tellion said. "But I'm still here, and I'm going to make the most of the life I have."
"That's a very good outlook to have about it."
Gabriella looked ahead of them, and her face brightened.
"We're almost there. I guess that's enough of that. I hope you and Ellaine both have a fun time here."
"Thanks, I think we will." Tellion told her.
Gabriella smiled at her again.
"If tagging along with the kids becomes too much to deal with, you can always hang back with us boring adults. Trust me, having to be the responsible adult isn't nearly as fun as you think it is."
"I'll keep that in mind." Tellion said as the bus came to a stop and everyone began exiting.
Tellion waited until Gabriella and many of the other adults were leaving before climbing from her seat and following after them. Outside the buses, the mass of students, teachers, and accompanying adults all assembled near the front entrance to the Gardens. Tellion stayed near Ellaine, but didn't have a chance to really speak to her as a tour guide greeted the small crowd. While addressing them, Tellion paid close enough attention to know where they would be going and what types of animals they would be seeing. Most of the larger beasts, as well as the reptile and insect exhibits, would be on their primary tour. Tellion wasn't too sure about the insects. There might be a chance that she could acquire one or more on the tour, but being able to morph something so small…just didn't make any rational sense to her. But neither did morphing down into the much smaller mass of the crow. So she guessed anything was possible with Andalite morphing technology.
Tellion momentarily pushed her plans aside to go next to Ellaine.
"Excited?"
Ellaine glanced at her friend Bianca who was standing on the other side of her. She gave Tellion a halfhearted shrug.
"I'm getting out of school for a day. That's good enough for me." she answered.
"Yeah." Bianca added to the conversation. "I'd be taking my math and science classes right now. They are so boring."
"But they are essential knowledges to know about." Tellion told them, letting her inner Yeerk personality of focusing on hard scientific knowledge show. "You shouldn't neglect their importance."
Bianca made a face Tellion couldn't understand the expression of before switching it over to another, more light hearted one and playfully jabbing Elliane in the shoulder.
"I thought you said it would be more fun with your sister coming along. She almost sounds like your mom." Bianca said.
"I…" Tellion stumbled her answer, not sure what the correct thing to say was.
Before she got a chance to speak again, Bianca looped her arm around Ellaine's and started dragging her away.
"Come on, they're starting to let us in." she said, but didn't sound all that excited to be going in.
Ellaine glance back at Tellion just once. Tellion just smiled, letting her know that she was fine with the situation.
"Don't go too far from the group." Tellion told her. "I want you to stay where I can see you."
Ellaine grunted and rolled her eyes. "Geeze Susie, I'm not a baby you know."
With that said, she and Bianca headed off to join another group of girls near the entrance. Even as Tellion was trying to make sense of what had just happened, Gabriella was right beside her, offering an extra bottle of water.
"Welcome to parenting." she joked.
"I'm not sure what just happened." Tellion said, taking her offer and unscrewing the cap from the bottle.
"It's ok. Half the time I'm still trying to figure it all out. And I've been doing it for almost thirteen years." Gabriella said with a smile as Tellion took a sip of water. "Take for instance, Bianca just quite the dance team she begged me a year ago to pay for her to be a part of last month. But you know what, every single night she puts on one song and dances in her room to it. Kids, huh?"
"I suppose." Tellion half-heartedly agreed.
Having children…was almost as equally a strange concept to Tellion as obtaining the morphing ability of the Andalites. It was a complete contrary to everything that she knew of herself. With no true parents of such in the society she had been born into and raise by, Tellion didn't know anything of how to deal with such a situation. But like everything in her new life as Susan, she would try her best to understand it.
Gabriella just smiled again, and they followed after the children. The whole grade was divided into many smaller groups. Each group consisting of some twenty youths accompanied by two to three adults. Tellion found herself among one such group along with Gabriella, following after Ellaine, Bianca, and many other girls in Ellaine's grade as they were lead through the gardens by their appointed guide.
The trip started off with many of the smaller and more unimportant animals, of which Tellion took little notice of. Of course, her ulterior motive was to spot and potentially acquire far more useful morphs than her simple crow. But even as she admire the massive variety of animals that were presented to her, Tellion took hardly any notice of them. Most, if not all of them, were useless to her desired needs. Perhaps in the future, when she better understood the capabilities of many of these beasts, she would return to acquire them. But for now, her goals were limited and focused. And she needed to stick to them.
After over an hour of traveling around with many animals introduced to their group in their respected exhibits, Tellion and her group were invited to a small event called a 'meet and greet' of several types of exotic animals. Although there was a selected gathering of the entire class soon, the group decided to let the young girls get a very close encounter with creatures that they would never see up close in any other circumstance. Even though she feigned a carelessness of the situation, Tellion saw Ellaine's face become excited at the prospect of being able to see such creatures. Tellion opted not to interrupt her and Bianca as they were led into a small room.
Inside they were greeted with several small and interesting animals. The staff of the Gardens introduced them to various amphibian and reptilian creatures. Tellion was tempted on more than one instance to try and acquire several of the creatures, but a rational part of her mind warned her that more than one attempt would perhaps bring unnecessary attention to her. So she opted to wait for what felt to her like a suitable creature to absorb into herself.
It finally came with the introduction of the last creature. A sleek, feline beast roughly twice the size of the common pet cats Tellion had seen sulking about her house on various occasions. The staff introduced the creature as Raymond, and explained to all present that he was what was called a Jaguarundi, a smaller predatory feline that was indigenous to the regions of the planet known as central and South America. He had a very long body and neck, and his greyish brown fur was smooth and shiny. His long tail playfully danced about the same way she had seen regular cats move. One of the accompanying adults described Raymond as, 'the love child of a cat and an otter'.
Although a potential dangerous creature, they were assured by the staff that Raymond was quite loveable and docile. All were given a turn to pet him, even Ellaine. But when she showed hesitancy to touch such a beast, Tellion took the opportunity to go and be the Susan that Elliane had always known and remembered. She went up to the small, sleek looking feline creature, put on a brave face, and ran her trembling hand over the head of Raymond. The smaller feline creature stared up at Tellion with curious golden/brown eyes. Tellion didn't sense any aggression in the creature, which helped her to focus on what she had to do next. As she kept gently rubbing his head, Tellion summoned up her memory of what she done with the Crow from before. She thought of wanting to become Raymond, of how he saw the world, and ran through the dim forests of the part of the world his ancestors had come from. And just like that, Tellion felt the tingle of the Andalite morphing power activating through her fingertips as she pressed them into the flesh of Raymond's back neck. And just like the crow from before, Raymond stopped all activity and became still as if he had become entranced by some otherworldly force. And she felt the very familiar tingle of what had happened with the crow days before as Raymond and Tellion became one.
Tellion only held her hold over Raymond for a very short period of time, just long enough for Ellaine to work up the courage to run her shaking hand over his head once before Tellion released her hold over him.
"Wow, Suzie…" Ellaine whispered. "I can't believe you just did that."
Tellion smiled at her little sister. "One of us has to be brave, right?"
Ellaine chuckled a bit and nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess so."
After that, Bianca and several other girls worked up the nerve to also pet Raymond, who after Tellion's touch, appeared to be even more docile than the staff remembered him being.
After the moment had passed and Raymond had been taken out of the room, the group exited to go and join the rest of the field trip. The next exhibit was a specialized show to introduce the children to what were called 'birds of prey'.
Tellion took her seat beside Ellaine, at least comforted that she had managed to acquire a new morph, even if she wasn't sure how useful a Jaguarundi would be to her. The form would be small and sleek, and the handlers had explained that they were very quick runners and also great swimmers. It could be an excellent morph for scouting or tracking. Tellion would have to put that to the test in the future. But that wasn't what she needed to think about now. Ignoring the many things that were being said around her, Tellion focused on the show.
Although she had the crow morph for flight, that form had proven almost useless in the previous battle. Tellion knew that she needed something far more formidable when it came to an aerial morph. She needed something that could potentially be useful in a battle should the need arise. With that thought running through her squishy slug mind, Tellion focused on the birds that would be presented to her.
As time dragged on, and the staff introduced one magnificent bird after another, Tellion allowed herself to become entranced by the many creatures that were presented to her. There were predatory beasts that were known to many of the locals as the 'Red Tailed Hawk', or the 'Peregrine Falcon', or even the 'Golden Eagle'. There were so many that Tellion was introduced to, and all of them appeared rather impressive to what she was seeking. But yet, even though she saw so many different varieties of the predatory birds of prey, none of them felt right to Tellion.
Not a single one of those birds seemed to fit her deeply entrenched personality of how she sought to deal with any situation. Many appeared too big and powerful, or too small and fast for how she saw herself dealing with any sort of dangerous situation. That was, until she was presented with one of the very last birds of prey.
Tellion couldn't explain why, but when the bird was brought out by one of the many staff, she sat up on her seat. Somehow, its appearance, its coloration, its overall structural design called out to her. This, without a shred of doubt to Tellion, was the creature that she had been searching for to be her primary aerial form of transportation and potential combat. Even as she felt herself becoming immersed with the sight of the newest bird of prey, the member of the staff addressed the crowd.
"And now for our last guest of the show, I'd like to introduce all of you to the last of our precious aerial princess of the show today, Amelia."
Amelia. A wonderful name. For an equally wonderful creature. Tellion thought.
"We named her after the famous woman flyer, Amelia Earheart, who was the first lady to traverse the entire Atlantic Ocean solo in a plane."
The staff member/trainer displayed the bird of prey higher for all to see.
"Amelia here is what is called a 'Swallowed Tailed Kite'. And while they are not the fastest, or even the strongest of the North American birds of prey, they are without question considered one of the most aerodynamic raptor species in the entire North American hemisphere. And while they are primarily indigenous to the Central and South American regions, they do migrate north into the southern portion of the country for seasonal breeding and nesting."
Now she was completely entranced by what she was hearing. But even more so by the creature that she was witnessing with her own eyes. Amelia, the 'Swallow Tailed Kite', was a magnificent sight to behold. She was smaller than many of the other predatory birds, yet elligant in her body design. White feathers covered her head and most of her body, extending out into a large portion of the underside of her wings, with a very dark feathers covering her outer edges of the wings and back. But nothing drew Tellion to Amelia more than her pair of exceptionally long feathers protruding from her tail.
Tellion listened intensely as it was explained that Amelia was a rescue bird, taken from illegal captivity by local authorities and handed over to the Gardens for safe keeping. As such, she was incapable of being released out into the wild. And though there were plans to eventually transport her to a zoo with other captive Swallow Tailed Kites that could better tend to her needs, for the time being she would remain a guest of the facility.
To the delight of the crowd, the trainer released Amelia into the air and she swooped just above their heads, flying up onto a nearby perch just like the other birds before her. And just like them, on command, she took flight when the trainer threw something into the air. Amelia flew across the open area and snatched the morsel from the air. But when the trainer tossed another morsel off to her side, Tellion was stunned as Amelia adjusted her long tail feathers and veered sharply in the direction of the morsel and caught it in the air as well. None of the other predatory birds had been able to perform such a sharp turned feat like that. Upon seeing that, Tellion's mind had been solidly committed to acquiring Amelia's DNA. Her sleek design, combined with her unbelievable maneuverability in midair, were the perfect choice to suit Tellion's designs for a stronger flying morph.
As if her mind had willed it, the trainer tossed another morsel into the air, and Amelia somehow missed it in midflight. The tiny piece of meat spun through the air, falling on the ground right next to Tellion. Amelia swung about elegantly, folded her wings slightly, and dove at the piece of meat. The trainer called out to her, while at the same time urging everyone not to panic. But those around Tellion didn't heed her calls, as several jumped out of their seats and away from Amelia as she stretched out her talons and snatched the chunk of meat off the ground. To the shock of all present, she flapped her amazing wings twice, and landed on the now empty seat right next to Tellion.
While many gasped and the trainer continued to try and get Amelia to return with another morsel of meat, she remained indifferent to all as she pecked at the chunk of flesh in her clutches. Tellion knew that this would be her one and only chance.
Without any hint of fear for what Amelia could likely do to her vulnerable hand, Tellion reached out and gently ran her finger tips down the length of Amelia's back. Amelia's feathers ruffled and she make a high pitched call, but made no attempt to flee or attack Tellion. All of her attention was focused on finishing up the savory morsel in her clutches.
It was now, or never.
Oblivious herself to all around, Tellion pressed her fingers slightly harder against Amelia's back and focused. Just like the crow, just like Raymond the Jaguarundi, she thought of wanting to be just like Amelia. Soaring through the air, wild and free as she should have been, darting and diving about unlike many of the other birds she had witnessed. And like the others, as the tingling sensations ignited from their mutual touch, Tellion watched Amelia stop eating and become unusually still. Their connection felt more powerful to Tellion than the two prior acquisitions she had gotten, because perhaps this time she truly wanted to be like Amelia. A desire to feel what it was like to be her, and not just as a necessity for her needs. And as the tingling radiated up into her body, Tellion knew that very soon she would have that desire fulfilled.
That moment of connection was one that Tellion would never forget, which made her having to pull her hand away even harder than she could have imagined. But break their connection she had to, least she draw anymore unwanted attention to herself and her actions.
Amelia remained motionless for a few moments, then the trance like hold over her passed. She gobbled down the remainder of the meat in her grasp before taking to the air again and returning to her increasingly worried trainer. Once back on her specialized arm cover, the trainer apologized to the crowd for the spectacle, assuring everyone that Amelia was a very good and docile bird before claiming that everyone had clearly had too much excitement for the day. With that said, she and Amelia exited.
"Susie!"
Tellion turned her head to face Ellaine, who was staring at her with wide eyes.
"What the hell were you thinking? That thing could have comped your finger off or something!"
Tellion shrugged. "I don't know Elliane, she was just there next to me, and I wanted to know what she felt like. I wasn't really thinking."
As if to back up Ellaine, Bianca appeared from behind her little sister and smirked.
"You're freaking crazy lady. That's twice in one day you put your hand out there to be chomped on. I wasn't having anything to do with that bird." she thumbed her hand at Ellaine. "I even used your sister here as a human shield when it dived at us."
Ellaine shook her head slightly and pushed her friend slightly. "You're such a coward."
"Better to be a coward and keep my pretty face." she said, gently patting her cheeks.
Ellaine sighed and looked back at Tellion. The concern drained from her face, replaced by something else. Maybe, Tellion thought, admiration.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that you did that. You always were the crazy one in the family."
Tellion returned her statement with a warm smile. "I just have to do stupid things so you learn what not to do, like any good big sister."
Ellaine rolled her eyes before she and Bianca hurried off to exit the small arena. As Tellion watched them go, Gabriella was beside her, chuckling under her breath.
"Well, congratulations, I think you might have just earned yourself some points with those two." she stated. "At least with Ellaine."
"Points? For what?" Tellion asked.
Gabriella smirked humorously at her. "For being cool. Or hip. Or whatever it is the kids are calling it nowadays. I honestly can't keep up with it."
"I don't understand." Tellion told her honestly.
Gabriella just smiled slightly at her, clearly not understanding herself Tellion's general ignorance of what she had told her. "It's ok, I'm still trying to figure it out myself."
She looked back to where the trainer had taken Amelia.
"I'm still trying to make sense of all that. But Ellaine's right, you were pretty crazy for trying to pet that bird."
Tellion shrugged again.
"Well, if I had thought about it, I probably would have run away like everyone else. But, when would I ever get another chance to touch something like that?"
"I don't think that was worth the risk of losing your finger over, but you did it. So I guess it was worth it. What did it feel like?"
"Like…" Tellion had to search her mind for a similar texture for comparison. "like a smooth bed cover."
Gabriella made an odd face. "Well, probably not the best comparison. But I'll take your word for it."
Tellion pointed after where Ellaine and several other girls went. "Should we catch up with them? They'll probably run off if they think we're not watching them."
"Oh, they'll definitely run off if they think they can get away from us. Probably try to hook up with some boys from their grade. That's the last thing I need to deal with today." Gabriella said.
Thankfully, nothing more was said about her interactions with Amelia, for which Tellion was grateful. They quickly caught up with Ellaine and the others as the tour guide started to lead them over to the larger and more exotic animals of the zoo.
This was it.
This was the entire reason that Tellion had chosen to abandon Mark when he needed her, of why she had driven a wedge between them. She needed a form that could fight back against the Imperial forces. Something that could be a match for the deadly Hork-Bajir shock troops that she currently was helpless to resist. Although Tellion both dreaded and loathed the idea of begin forced into a deadly confrontation, she just couldn't see how it would be possible to carry on being a mere observer to the conquest and subjugation of the planet Earth like the Chee. Her ideals of chearishing life were noble, but sadly, she knew in the core of her Yeerk being that ideals weren't going to be enough to save humanity. Only brute force would drive away her Yeerk brethren and ultimate spare this world and the people that inhabited it a fate worse than death.
But how to choose. Of that, Tellion had no idea.
She thought of herself, how she wished that she would be able to fight, and tried to pick one of the larger animals she was observing based on that understanding of herself, and how she hoped and desired to fight if the need called for it. But there were so many that she witnessed as they passed through one exhibit after another and none felt right for what she wanted.
A creature called a Gorilla. Humanoid and seemingly powerful, but not overly fast or agile. A no choice for her at this time. Perhaps another day, once she had far more morphs at her disposal and a better knowledge of how to utilize her morphing abilities.
Another called a Grizzly Bear, which looked exactly like the creature that had carried away the boy the prior day during the battle between the Andalites and Yeerks. She could see the appeal for why an Andalite would choose such a creature. Very large and almost seemingly indestructible. Ideally suited for straight forward, brute force combat. But again, appeared to be far too cumbersome to be of use to Tellion in how she imagined herself fighting.
A slightly larger canine beast called a Grey Wolf. Small, fast, and agile. But only having the ability to bite its opponent and did not appear very well suited for a straight up confrontation against a Hork-Bajir and the damage they could inflict, especially if she were alone and facing off against several such opponents. Tellion also gave that creature a pass.
Then they came to the larger cat exhibits. Tellion thought of the Jaguarundi. She liked its sleek design and body structure, its seemingly powerful yet agile frame. That was far more suited to the strike and dodge style of fighting Tellion imagined herself conducting. But above all else, while the Andalites shared the luxury of having each other to rely upon in battle, it was all too likely that any confrontation that Tellion had against Imperial forces, she would be on her own. Knowing that, she needed a form that could strike quick, hard, and flee equally fast should the situation call for it. Felines were definitely where she would focus her attention on for a morph suitable for such a battle strategy.
The Striped Bengal Tigers were the first she saw. She admired their orange and black colorations. Their solidly built frames and marveled at how gracefully they moved about their enclosure. They were a tempting choice for Tellion, but she felt hesitation at deciding on acquiring one. Raw power, and likely agile enough, but they just didn't seem to fit what she was looking for. Maybe because they were too big. A silly thing to think considering what Tellion was scouting them for. She would have to think about it a little more and see the rest of the feline predators before making her choice.
Next came the lions. Tellion admitted, they were very tempting to her as well. Especially the male lion that had been called 'Simba' by the Gardens staff, with his magnificent mass of hair clustered around his neck and head, clearly a defense against enemies that wanted to attack his vulnerable neck. But just like the tigers, they felt too big and powerful for what Tellion was searching for. Another potential prospect, but not a definite choice for her as the group moved on.
She was beginning to have her doubts about if she was overthinking this situation. Then they came to the next exhibit, and she saw it.
Just like she had with Amelia, something inside Tellion called out to her, telling her that this creature she was looking at was the perfect choice to suite her desire and potential fighting style. A predatory feline, similar in design to all the others. Far larger than the Jaguarundi, but certainly smaller than the lions and tigers. But its size did nothing to dissuade Tellion from feeling that this creature would be perfect for her. Tellion came to the edge of the exhibit and stared down at it as the feline rested in the dark corner of the exhibit. Its almost black as night coat made it blend in so well in the darkened area.
Knowing that likely many of her confrontations with the Yeerk forces would be at night, this beast's natural dark appearance would be ideally suited for that. Tellion moved to the little information plaque for the exhibit and read it.
The creature was named Tezcatlipoca, after a primitive human divine being that embodied the creature's form. Even as she read this, the tour guide began to talk about the creature, just as she had with all the other animals. Only this time, Tellion was listening.
"Now this handsome fella behind us is Tezcatlipoca. And he's a black panther. Does anyone here know what is so special about Black Panthers?"
"They're not actually a separate species." Some girl from the crowd answered. "They're a genetic abnormality found in both Jaguars and Leopards that makes their coats come out almost pure black instead of their standard coloration."
"Correct." the guide exclaimed. "Tezcatlipoca here is actually a male South American Jaguar. We here at the Gardens gave him that name when he was born four years ago because he was unusually large for a Jaguar, even at birth. Now most male Jaguars weigh between 220 to 350 pounds and are around two and half feet in height, but Tezcatlipoca here weighs in at a whopping 384 pounds and is almost 2.9 feet in height. That makes him the largest male Jaguar ever recorded in captivity. Isn't that something?!"
The guide chuckled a little as she pointed at Tezcatlipoca. "Now Jaguars may be smaller than both Lions and Tigers, but don't let their size fool you. They are the top most predatory cat in the entire Western Hemisphere, and are the third most powerful feline species on the planet. Their bite force is even greater than that of their larger African and Asian cousins, in fact it's almost twice as strong as that of a tiger. And they're some of the best swimmers of the feline species. And given Tezcatlipoca's abnormally large size, I don't think he would have anything to make him afraid of in the wild. In fact, I'd say he'd be more than a match for the female lions we have here at the Gardens. Why he would probably even give Simba a run for his money if the two ever had to face off against a freshly made kill. But don't any of you worry about that, we make sure every animal is kept separate and safe from each other."
After that the tour moved on. All except Tellion. She remained at the exhibit for a little while longer. She wanted to admire Tezcatlipoca for just a little longer. He climbed to his feet as she continued to stare at him and began moving about his enclose. That unexpected action gave Tellion the joy of being able to witness his graceful movements. That only helped to solidify Tellion's decision. Tezcatlipoca would be her choice for battle, if she ever had the need to fight. She was sure that he would indeed be a match for a Hork-Bajir. And with a little bit of time adjusting to the morph, Tellion was sure that she would fully understand everything that he could and couldn't do when it came to fighting.
The sound of Ellaine's voice broke Tellion from her spell. She looked towards where the group was heading off, and saw Ellaine break away from Bianca and another girl to jog back over to her.
"Hey dummy, you're supposed to be the one that's looking after me to make sure I don't wander off."
Tellion pointed down at the black coated Jaguar. "I just wanted to look at him for a bit longer. He's a beautiful animal."
Elliane looked down into the enclosure and nodded her head. "Oh he's pretty alright. But something tells me you wouldn't want to fall in there and meet him face to face Suzie."
"No." Tellion said. "I don't suppose I would."
But she would. Very, very soon.
Ellaine smiled, grasped her hand, and started leading her back to the group.
"Well, let's get back to the others. Bianca and Lainey were talking to me about an after school program they both joined recently. Helping the community and stuff like that. They even said that there's a couple of cute boys they could introduce me to. I want to hear more about it."
"Oh…" Tellion said. "That sounds nice. What is it?"
"They only just came around a while ago." Ellaine said. "Maybe last year, I think."
She turned to look Tellion in the face with a smile full of youthful innocence.
"It's something called, The Sharing."