"Bruce, please...", Martha whispered. "I don't hate you... you didn't know, there's no way you could know, and you tried your best.", she told him as she took a deep breath. "I... I think you're right, she'll be alright, but we need to find her fast...". She then hugged him tightly again as she brushed his hair, "Please, Bruce, don't cry... I need you to be strong... Poppy needs you to be strong...".
Bruce sniffled, blinking his tears back as he took deep breaths, "O-okay, Mom...I'll try to be strong...", with a small nod, and they waded through the water for a bit before Alfred's voice called out, "Oh, Martha, Bruce! Thank goodness you're safe! Wait...where's Poppy?", as he sprinted through the water to the duo.
Martha took another deep breath, "We need some sort of boat fast, Alfred...She...Poppy, she got washed away in the flash flood...We need to find her...Thomas is protecting her as much as he could as a spirit right now...".
"Right away.", Alfred nodded with a determined look on his face after a few moments of shock. He quickly ran ahead while the other two followed him, hopeful to find something as well as Martha mentally preparing Kel to take over once more. She had rarely changed so quickly back and forth several times in a single day, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
In the meantime, Poppy was still clinging onto the branch with her eyes half open as she was already so exhausted from the trauma and screaming while continuing to float down the now calmer river that still was fairly high from where she was.
She could barely think to realize that she had gone so far, southeast or similar from the town of Eunice, and with the power of the river, she would have possibly traveled so many miles...
She often tried to avoid other things in the way of the gushing river like other fallen trees, debris, and such, and she strangely felt a presence helping her, nudging her away from any debris that would have harmed her or dislodged her from her preserver branch, hearing a vaguely familiar voice she heard from home videos speaking to her with protective love.
She kicked her legs half-heartedly in exhaustion here and there, trying to keep her eyes open, but she couldn't keep them open much longer, even with the water splashing at her and such while holding on to the branch barely enough with her arms worn out and weakened...
After a few minutes, she was almost out, losing balance, splashing into the river, and she gasped, trying to scream for help, but her voice has almost gone out, hoarse and such, but she tried, while swimming and trying to reach back to her branch, exhausted and sore and weakened.
She managed to drape an arm over one of the smaller broken branches of the main branch, barely hearing a voice and a splash as she faintly felt the presence, unconsciously recognizing her daddy's voice reassuring that it's going to be okay...She hoarsely whispered, "D-Daddy...", almost falling back into the water as she blacked out, not registering the fact of someone saving her.
It wasn't too long before Poppy could feel herself regaining consciousness as she was taking deep but peaceful breaths before she slowly was opening her eyes. She found herself looking up to the sky and saw much of the dark clouds having parted away, leaving a cloudy sky still, but certainly much lighter and harmless looking. Of course, then it registered in her head that she was moving due to someone carrying her in their arms.
She moved her head slightly to look at her savior and blinked tiredly as she made out a preteen boy, maybe on the edge of teenagerhood, a dark tan complexion with strange brown skin patches here and there like he is wearing leather on his skin, roughly seeing the rest of the skin looking tinted green, with thick dark brownish-black hair that's starting to thin out.
The boy looked focused on carrying his load as Poppy made out rough-looking clothes, and the boy's eyes are deep amber brown, with a strong-looking nose, and a soft if slightly sharp look to his features, and in a tiny part of her brain, she thought that he's kinda cute, not caring about cooties or the fact that he's different.
She managed to realize that this boy is somehow stronger than a normal boy, and she smiled exhaustedly, weakly whispering, "Thank you...", and the boy blinked, a glint of fear and suspicion in his eyes as he looked down despite not stopping, and she gave him a grateful, friendly if exhausted smile, "Thank you.", reaffirming her words before she couldn't keep her eyes open, and went back to sleep.
"Yo-you're welcome...", the boy said, even if she wasn't hearing it as she fell back asleep; obviously hesitant in tone, but certainly had quite a bit of a bass to it though it was still cracking meaning that he was obviously going through puberty.
The boy is stunned that the girl didn't freak out or scream at him or anything, but then again, he could blame the trauma and the exhaustion on her...Growing up as Waylon Jones, a poor, ugly, and bullied boy, he doesn't really trust people much apart from his mother who somehow loves him all this time even after he began showing signs and such of his...his condition.
Waylon headed straight for his and his mother's home, a humble yet rough-looking shack, as a hearty, lovely woman of caramel skin and bright brown eyes and dark brown curly hair stepped out into the porch, wringing her hands in a towel, "I was about to get worried, Waylon Jones, you were about to miss out on lunch and-!", before widening her eyes in shock and horror, "Oh, what in heaven has happened?!", as she saw the horrible state of a strange girl in Waylon's arms.
"I found her floating in the river, Mama...", Waylon told her. "I think she got washed away by the flood that came through... something must have happened upriver, never saw it that high in my life. She was hanging onto a branch and all and I jumped in to save her... I thought she was dead for a minute there until I saw her breathing when I brought her to safe ground.".
The woman, by the name of Caroline Jones, gasped, "Oh, my! Quick, Waylon, get her in before she gets a chill or worse!", and Waylon nodded, "Yes, Mama.", walking up the stairs as Caroline held open the door for him, careful to carry the girl around the corners, holding her up a bit closer.
"Put her in your room. She'd wake up in a kid's room and be more comfortable with familiar sights. I will get some clean, fresh clothes from my room, and once you settle her in, but don't tuck her in yet, you take some warm water and towels from the bathroom for me to clean and nurse her up, is that clear?", Caroline demanded urgently.
Waylon replied, "Yes, ma'am...And I will eat some lunch for your sake...Do you want me to warm up some gumbo soup or something from the pantry?".
"Yes, and a good idea to get her some prepared too. Not sure if she'll eat much of it, but she probably needs some food after everything... and some clean drinking water too.", Caroline added as Waylon nodded.
"You think her family is looking for her?", Waylon then asked as he then walked into his room to gently place the girl into his bed, keeping the blankets away for the moment. Caroline's blood ran a bit cold for a moment there.
"Not sure... it could be possible that her family may have been washed away...", Caroline admitted. "Don't tell her that; I don't know anything, just, that could be a possibility.".
"Right. I'll keep quiet.", Waylon said, making the girl comfortable, removing the outer garments including the socks and shoes, but keeping his manners as he didn't touch the shirt or shorts while Caroline went to grab some fresh clothes from her dresser, figuring a long shirt of hers would fit as a dress and such.
She then went into Waylon's room as Waylon passed her by, first going to the bathroom to find a bowl to fill warm water and towels as Caroline closed the door.
Waylon knocked on the door after he got the things his mama asked for, and with a creak of the door, Caroline thanked her son, grabbing the offered stuff and then closing the door. Waylon then went to prepare some gumbo soup for the girl while eating his lunch for his mama's sake, praying that the girl didn't catch a chill or worse from who knows how long she had been in the river.
And then of course, there was her family. He hoped that they were alright, that things were okay and that they were just desperately looking for her and would be greatly relieved to find her alive. Waylon guessed that she had to be from the town up the river, the storm wasn't too long ago which meant that she couldn't have been going down the river for a long time.
Indeed, elsewhere, in a borrowed if miraculously saved rowboat/motorboat, out of the town's view, Martha had shifted into Kel, while Martha zoomed out into her astral form, with Alfred and Bruce helping with rowing since there's so much debris that they are afraid to use the motor on the back because it could get clogged.
Martha cried into Kel's arms as Kel tried to focus on finding the scent of their daughter, "The river is really clogged with so many smells...I'm really trying to find our girl's scent, it's going to be okay, we will find her, Martha, my little alpha...", kissing her mate's forehead, staying away from the front otherwise her weight would tip the boat over, keeping her balance.
Kel, over the past few years, has become now very, very literate, and an adult woman now in both mind, and body unlike her earlier stages of development, thanks to living with her mate, her friends in Alfred and Leslie, and their pups in Bruce and Poppy.
"I know...", Martha sighed. "But I still can't help but be terrified. She's... she's not like us. If she was, I'd be feeling at least a bit calmer...", with a small frown.
"Thomas is watching out for her, we have to keep that hope.", Kel assured her. "Keep us going straight.", with a gesture as she glanced back to Alfred and Bruce.
"Hopefully, we're not on the trail of some other people that may have tragically been washed away... might affect your direction.", Alfred said. "Trust me, when I get it, I know it's hers for sure.", Kel replied back.
Martha exhaled, "I believe you, Kel...We...we just didn't expect this...And to think this morning was peaceful...", as she was relaxing in the hotel spa, with Kel mentally learning from the staff so she would know what to expect when Martha treats her to a session of spa time Wayne style, while Alfred was having a nap...Then the storm came out of nowhere...
Martha saw a few scrapable news on tv to see what's happening, and after excusing herself from the spa, heading to her hotel bedroom, to inform Alfred, and after taking off the hastily dressed clothes, she shifted into Kel on instinct to go help the people, to save any injured and such, knowing that Kel saw everything through Martha's window in the mind.
After Kel saw that she had done an admirable job, with possible gossip of the green she-monster, through some people said it was a hulk, she headed back to the hotel, shifting back to Martha when the coast was clear, and telling people in a lie that she stayed away from the windows, staying safe in the bathroom when the storm was getting worse, she left her hotel bedroom, to go search for Poppy and Bruce.
Martha quickly shook her head, returning back to the present as they kept looking around. She turned a bit to look at Bruce as he obviously was staring out into the water, "Bruce... I know what's going through your head.", she told him.
"I'm sorry, Mom... I just... I'd never forgive myself if we don't find Poppy alright... I know I could've been able to reach out just a bit more to her... or dived into saving her...", Bruce spoke quietly.
"You do that, you might be dead right now.", Martha reminded. "It's like you said... we just have to pray that your father managed to be a guardian angel for her and kept her okay as she was carried by the river.".
Bruce sighed deeply, "Yeah...", automatically rowing the boat, and so, as the debris kept them with Kel directing here and there when she grabs a waft of Poppy's scent, taking about an hour as they can't afford to be too fast otherwise they'd miss her if she was hidden in long grass or something, praying that even with the high, slowly-getting low waters of the river less filled with dangerous animals, it should be a normal river somewhat...
Meanwhile, Poppy started to open her eyes, feeling a bit better, making out to see a window and walls of a strange yet familiar room of a teenager, almost like Bruce's room, except that it's more rustic and slightly musky, and she felt that she was clean if sore, comfortable in a bed.
She glanced over, opening her eyes a bit stronger as she saw the boy who saved her, reading a book, and as she now had a fuller look of him, he looks a mix of coltish, scrawny with baby fat and chubby, but she can't tell if it was actually chubby baby fat or muscles...
"H-Hello...", Poppy croaked out, and the boy froze, blinking in fear and worry, looking over to her, and he bit his lip before getting off his chair to walk to the side table of his bed which is holding a glass of fresh, clean water with a straw, while calling back, "Mama, she's awake!".
Poppy heard a warm, friendly female voice answering back, "Okay, I'll fill a bowl of gumbo for her if she's hungry, Waylon!", as Waylon picked up the glass, gulping nervously as he helped tilted Poppy's head, "Easy, small sips. This will keep you from getting dehydrated.", as he angled the straw carefully for her.
Poppy gave a weak nod as she put the straw to her lips and began to drink. "How are you feeling?", Waylon asked her as she kept going for a few more moments before stopping.
"Al-alright...", Poppy told him. Her body still greatly ached from all the energy she had used as well as the waves constantly crashing into her, but it seemed like she managed to get through without any true injuries.
Waylon replied, "That's good, and you don't seem to have caught a cold or something which is a miracle out here as we're not far from the deep bayou...", not knowing that Poppy's hidden gamma genes destroy the bad bacteria of a cold, a flu or anything else while welcoming the good bacteria to build Poppy's immune system stronger.
Poppy blinked, "H-How did you make it to me? I-It was a scary, big, high river...", curiously looking at Waylon, stunning him as he was used to girls being repulsed of him and all, due to his condition.
"Strong swimmer...", Waylon gave a small chuckle. "Besides, it was starting to calm down into getting lower by the time you reached where I was. Probably wouldn't have made it had it been further up the river where you obviously came from.", he said.
"I don't know what happened...", Poppy whispered. "One moment I was playing with my big brother... the next... the storm hit and almost instantly, the waters ran up so high and fast.".
Waylon replied, "That's a flash flood...When the rains get hard and fast for some amount of time in an area where something is bound to overflow, it would flood really high and fast, like if the river got too much from a hurricane or if something broke, unable to hold the water back.", nodding as he indeed had seen flash floods through his life, but luckily, his home is on strong stilts and a tall foundation, and he, with his mother, survived through many times when the flash floods had gone down the path instead of another way.
Poppy frowned, "Do they happen a lot?", and Waylon shook his head, "Not all the time, but it's more apparent in the summertime.", with a hum before they heard footsteps, and Caroline walked in with a steaming bowl of gumbo soup.
"Oh, thank goodness that you're awake, little darling!", Caroline sighed in relief as Poppy blinked at the somewhat thick accent, but managing to understand her, as Caroline came closer, "You must be hungry, little darling! Oh, where are my manners?! I'm Caroline Jones, and this growing handsome son of mine is Waylon Jones.", with a warm smile.
Waylon blushed, "Ma!", and Poppy giggled, smiling as Waylon couldn't help noticing her sparkle in her light green eyes, and she replied, "I'm Penelope Wayne, but everybody calls me Poppy.".