They Call Her Tala.

7. Fur

Tala wakes just as the sun begins to rise. She nuzzles Rose happily before slipping out of the bed in her underwear. Rose sleeps peacefully, her mouth slightly ajar, her shirt pulled up to rest just beneath her chest.

Tala turns to stand before the window. Sunlight washes over the endless sea of houses, flooding the low sky with variations of red and orange, silhuettes cast in darkness. Beyond civilization lies her home; the forest, with its lush green canopy and homely woods. The forest, with its constant chatter of other beings yet its calm, serene silence. Tala wishes to run with her pack as the sun rises, chasing away the shadows of the unknown, challenging the curious darkness. The sun, bringer of warmth, rises above the houses and claims the sky.

The wild girl hears Rose stir.

"Hmmm..." Rose sighs, yawning as she wakes. Raising her head slightly, she murmurs, "Tala?"

The wild girl peels her eyes from the view and turns towards her friend. Rose's cheeks bare colour as Tala's chest, bare, comes into her sight. Tala, starting to feel cold, crawls back into bed next to Rosalie. The bassist runs her fingers through Tala's rough, short hair, letting her huddle close. Rose reaches for her phone to check the time and sees that it is still early, so she has plently of time before she and Vixy leave for school.

Rose finds herself comfortable, here with Tala. The feel of bare skin is natural, even if the wild girl was a stranger up until yesterday. The dark-haired girl seems to have a way of enveloping people into her life.

If only Vixy would let her.

Waking up with the sun beaming through her windows, Vixy pulls the black-covered pillow over her head. Groaning, the teen doesn't feel up for another day at school, especially one in which her friends will inquire what Tala did after they left.

Going through the morning routine, Vixy wonders if Tala will end up bursting through the door. Stripping from her nightgown, a silky black thing, Vixy turns the hot water on, adding a hint of cold to get the perfect temperature.

Sure enough, there is a knock at her bedroom door. At that moment, the teen steps out of her underwear. Tala enters, and pokes her head into the bathroom. "Vixy?"

 "Yes, Tala?" Vixy heads over to the sink, searching below for new body soap.

Tala enters, twisting her fingers into the bottom of her long shirt. Her legs are bare as she steps towards the teenager. She dips her head, dropping her eyes to stare at Vixy's bare feet and legs. "Tala sorry for make Vixy angry."

"Why are you sorry, Tala?" Vixy finds a bottle of vanilla scented body wash. Closing the doors, the teen rises from her spot in front of the sink. Slowly, she turns around, finding Tala wearing a shirt that use to belong to her father. Vixy, surprised to find the wild girl dressed, raises an eyebrow. "You are wearing clothes?"

The older teen looks at her shirt. "Dr. Morrison say people feel not com-for-ta-ble when Tala not wear clothes." She thinks back to last night when Rose, her new friend, told her it was okay if she slept without the shirt. Tala raises her eyes to Vixy's blue ones. "Tala not like make Vixy angry. Tala want... Tala want happy."

 "I would be happy if you would remember how to act like a human. You know, be less animal like and more human." Vixy says, heading towards the shower.

Tala lowers her eyes to the floor again. "Tala learning." Looking up again, she says, "Tala remember what Vixy say yesterday." The wild girl steps forward, reaching out her hand to touch Vixy's smooth mound, naming it.

 Goosebumps arise over the teen's lower body, her nipples becoming erect from the touch. Vixy, not knowing what to say, looks to the shower. "Has mother taught you to shower?"