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-Marlene's point of view-
Here I am... Sitting in my habitat. Heh. madami like a cave, or a prison... It gets lonely around here, especially at night. That's when I get the urge to go take a walk in Central Park, maybe with a friend... But I can't. It's too much for me to handle. All the freedom is so intense, it scares me. I freak out... And turn into a crazy, foaming, psychopath. And when I'm like that, I don't think. I'm just like a wild animal... Well, I am one anyway, but you get the point. -Walks towards the entrance of her habitat- Look at the moon up there. It's so beautiful... Every time I look at it, it makes me think of how much of the world I'm missing out on. I envy the penguins; they can go wherever without any problems... And Skipper... He probably thinks I'm just weird, because I can never get out because of this... But I'm really not. Every time he goes out on one of his missions, I want to go with him. Being around him helps me forget about my problems. I don't know why, but being in his presence gives me this tingly feeling and I've never felt it around anyone else. It's a feeling of comfort, and it makes me forget about my loneliness back at home. But when I go back home, the depression gets even worse... Everyone thinks I'm the happiest animal in the zoo, but... -tears well up- I'm really not... -sniff-
-Skipper's point of view-
It's almost time for bed... I need to get some sleep while I can. Those lemurs just make me furious, with their nocturnal racket... -yawns-
Everyone else is in kama already. -looks over at Private, Kowalski, and Rico- I want to sleep, but... Something has been worrying me lately. Yesterday I saw Marlene, but her sweet smile was gone... Her eyes just looked different, scary different. She seemed pretty upset. And it wasn't the first time. It seems like she's been run down lately, and her enthusiasm is just... Gone. And although I would normally say "It's none of my business" to anyone else, it... Hurts me to see her so depressed. And I know she's not in her bed, fast asleep, dreaming of Spanish guitars right now. I have a feeling that's not the case tonight... Or any other night. It must be hard on her to live there completely alone, with no family or mga kaibigan to comfort her, just an occasional visit from her neighbors... And the only time she gets that is when she comes here... -stops and thinks- And when she does come here, she seems to really enjoy it. She likes it when I give her attention, especially; I can tell. I kinda... Enjoy giving her attention, too. And even though I'm too chicken to tell her... Seeing her gives me this weird feeling in my stomach, and I've never felt it before with anyone else... It's a good feeling, it's just... Weird. Maybe Kowalski would know what it is. But aside from that, she seems to want freedom, too. I already know that she can't leave the zoo, and it's sad... She probably thinks I think of her as a freak. But I DON'T. And I want to prove it. I want her to be happy, and if there's one thing I do best, it's helping others. -climbs out of the HQ-
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Chapter 1: Inner Demon
Marlene opened her eyes and wiped away the last of the tears. She usually wasn’t one to cry, but all the stress just pushed her over the edge. She got up, determined to try and walk off her depression. But she only paced circles around her floor, frightened to walk out into the zoo where someone might see her in her depressed state. Come on, Marlene. Don’t be such a chicken. Who cares what they think? It’s none of their business anyway. Bravely, Marlene stepped out onto her porch and stared around the zoo. Dawn was breaking, and the other habitats were eerily quiet. Ugh… Another night without sleep. She could feel the aching eyes and body aches begin to set in. Though the sun was beginning to rise, she could still see a faint moon and fading stars in the creamy morning sky. She reached for her brush, and tried to untangle her matted fur. She jumped in surprise as she turned around to see Skipper eyeing her worriedly. “Er… I didn’t mean to scare you… I just wanted to talk to you about something.” Marlene felt a cold chill run through her body. No matter how hard she had tried to hide this issue, it progressively got to the point where she no longer could. She hesitated, then replied. “Um… Sure, come inside!” She tried to look and sound cheerful like she once was, but she could tell Skipper wasn’t buying it. Marlene was taken sa pamamagitan ng surprise when Skipper grabbed her gently sa pamamagitan ng the shoulders and peered into her eyes. “M-Marlene… What happened? You look like you haven’t slept in weeks. I came here to see if you were ok, because you’ve been pagganap very strange lately. But when I saw you this morning…” Marlene stood in shock for a moment. “You… Came to see if I was ok?” She felt a short tingle in her belly. Skipper stood silent with a look of genuine concern. “I didn’t… Think it was that obvious…” Skipper immediately focused his gaze on her. “What? What was that obvious?” Marlene sighed and sat down with her face buried in her paws. “What’s bothering you? I’ve seen you becoming less outgoing and social every day, and lately I haven’t even seen you come out of your habitat.” Marlene hesitated. “Marlene, if you don’t tell someone about this you’re going to get worse. I KNOW what it’s like.” Marlene took a paw off her face and her ears perked with interest. “What? You’re telling me YOU’VE been like this before?” Skipper looked away for a moment, then replied. “I’ll tell you if you let me help you.” Marlene took a deep breath. I don’t want to talk about this… But who else will help me? He’s seen me when I’m feral. It’s not like it’s a huge secret. “It’s about my… ‘Outside’ problem.” Skipper’s eyes seemed to light up like light bulbs, as if he already suspected that confession. “I feel so trapped… Never to be able to enjoy the outside world like all the ‘Normal’ mga hayop do. Is that good enough?” Marlene had a frustrated edge to her tone. Skipper scooted closer. “Yes. It is.” Marlene felt touched. I thought he wouldn’t understand and keep asking me questions… “I… I have a heart, you know. I may not seem like I do, but I’m mostly like this because of my past.” Marlene listened intently. “I was an orphan chick… My parents…” Skipper paused and closed his eyes. “Were murdered right in front of me.” Marlene instinctively put her paws around Skipper in a comforting hug. “Is… That why you’re always so paranoid? Why you never trust anyone?” Skipper stuttered. “I-I guess I just want to make sure nothing like that ever happens again on my watch. I’ve made it my duty to keep my team and mga kaibigan safe, even if it means I have to give my life to protect them. So… I wanted know what was going on, because I don’t want you to be miserable.” Marlene suddenly realized that she was not as alone as she once thought. Everyone else seemed so much happier than her, but they all have their own problems too. They didn’t have the perfect life that she thought they had. “Anyway… Maybe if you’d like… I could help you overcome your fears. I could make time for us to talk, if you want.” Marlene felt like Skipper had completely changed in the 20 minutos they had been talking. Why does he suddenly feel so comfortable around me? He used to be so tense. “But don’t you have to train with your team?” Skipper stood up. “Like I said, I’ll make time.” Marlene felt so much better. “Thank you… I think since we talked that I might be able to get some sleep now…” She yawned. Skipper’s eyes lit up. “I’m glad you feel a little better now. Go ahead and get some rest, you need it.” Skipper walked up and gave her a little hug. Marlene, not thinking, reached up and kissed him on the cheek. “I-I’m sorry… Er….” She pulled away. “Heh, no one has to know.” He blushed. “Well… I better get back to the HQ. My team is probably wondering where I got off to.” Marlene waved to him as he did his little “Commando” exit. She walked toward her kama and slowly lay down. For once in a long time she felt relaxed enough to fall into a comfortable sleep. He really does care…
