They Call Her Tala.

3. Nightcrawler

Tala wakes in the early hours, alone and afraid, and confused. She turns about in her new bed, glancing around, until she realizes that she is in her new home. Dr. Morrison's home. Homesick, she curls up under the covers, whimpering softly as she thinks of home. Her pack must miss her, too, she thinks. A salty tear leaks from the corner of her left eye.

The girl's night clothes lay on the floor where she had tossed them in her sleep; Tala never stays clothed for long.

Feeling alone, Tala slips out of the bed, completely naked. She leaves her bedroom quietly. Rumpling her short black hair, Tala travels the hall silent as a wolf, seeking company.

Opening the first door she finds, careful to be quiet, she enters the girls' room. She can hear the heavy breathing of sleep, can feel the sense of peace. She finds it odd that each girl sleeps so far from the other. Tala tip-toes forward, and gently eases herself into bed beside one of the girls, cuddling against her for warmth.

Instantly, as Tala's hand comes down upon Vixy's shoulder, the girl screams, flailing out of her bed. "RAPE! MOM! DAD! SOME CREEP IS IN MY ROOM!"

Shuffling is heard from beyond the bedroom, and lights are flicked on as Dr. and Mr. Morrison hurry to their daughters' room. "GET OUTTA MY GIRLS' R- Oh. Um. Yeah." Mr. Morrison backs out of the bedroom, baseball bat in hand, red in the face.

Dr. Morrison, covered in her bathrobe, enters the room. With a sweep of her eyes over the room, she finds Abigail sitting up in her bed, bewildered out of her sleep, Vixy standing on her couch snugged against the bay window, and Tala crouching nakedly in a corner of the room.

"What happened?"

As Vixy takes in the surroundings, she slightly calms, lowering herself to the floor. "I thought someone was trying to rape me. Tala crawled into my bed, naked." Vixy looks over at the wild girl, taking notice of the bush between her legs. "Mom, you really need to take care of the mess down there."

Vixy's mother glances over at her patient in order to see what her daughter is referring to. "Victoria..." Dr. Morrison pinches the bridge of her nose briefly, closing her eyes tiredly. "Yes, we're getting to that. It's not exactly top priority."

Her daughter raises her hands in defense, "Hey, if she is going to walk around naked, she might as well look decent rather than a raging wild beast."

Dr. Morrison raises an eyebrow at her daughter. Witholding her anger and frustration at her daughter's lack of compassion, she asks Vixy, gesturing to Tala's frightened figure. "Does that really look like a raging wild beast to you? She's terrified."

Vixy crosses her arms, rolling her eyes. "Mother, you brought a stranger into this house. A wild one at that. You don't know what she is capable of." Abigail slowly makes her way over to Tala, looking back at Vixy.

"She's not dangerous." The younger sister gets down on her knees, wrapping her arms around Tala. The wild girl leans into Abigail's small arms, and slowly wraps her own around the girl's waist.

Dr. Morrison steps closer to the three girls. "Tala is a person, just like you, and Abigail, and me, and your father. It would be nice if you could treat her like one." Vixy's mother approaches her younger daughter and the wild girl and places a hand on Abigail's shoulder. "Abigail, would you like to help me bring Tala back into her room?"

"Yes, Momma." The younger girl looks from her mother back to the wild girl. "Tala, let's go back to your bedroom." Abigail takes Tala's hand as she rises to her feet, tugging at it, telling her to rise off the floor as well. Meanwhile, Vixy stalks off to her bathroom, grumbling about the situation before closing her door.

Tala watches Vixy disappear into her bathroom before slowly rising from her crouch. Unashamed of her nakedness, the wild girl lets Abigail show her back to her own bedroom, Dr. Morrison on her tail.

In Abigail's old room, the doctor and her daughter help Tala get herself into, at the very least, underwear and a shirt. The smallest girl then yawns tiredly, and gives Tala a goodnight hug before heading back to bed.

Dr. Morrison tucks Tala into her new bed gently, covering her teenage body with the comforter. "Tala, honey, you can't just walk around naked. It makes people feel uncomfortable. Especially when you share a close space with someone, like in a bed. You cannot enter someone's personal space without their permission like that."

Tala plays with the covers, her brows furrowed. "V.... Vix... She angry. Not happy."

"Yes, Victoria is upset because you invaded her personal space. For example, erm.... Wolves." Tala's interest perks, to Dr. Morrison's relief and dismay. "When their territory is threatened, wolves attack. Victoria's bed is her territory, just like this is yours," she says, patting Tala's bed.

Tala nods slowly, then shuffles over to cuddle against Dr. Morrison. The mother of two, now three, smiles softly at the girl next to her. She gently strokes the girl's sheared black mane, lulling her to sleep once more.