Penguin's Majesty

16. A Compass

A/N: so I just realized that I practically skipped all the way to season 2 episode 19?! ☹️😂😓 lol I'm so conflicted about it. Like I feel bad for skipping it but I didn't know how else to integrate it into the story. So....
yeah.😅 and apparently fish is dead for the first time... and I made her alive... so she should be dying later.... but don't worry it's not that last you'll be seeing of Mama Mooney! Anyway onto the story!

I was fully awake after the dream I had. It was 2 am in the morning and I couldn't go back to sleep. I was restless. So I put some clothes on and left. I was walking down the street as I heard a woman whimper.

I looked and ran to where I heard it from. I saw a young woman with red hair sitting in a back alley alone. She seemed cold and frightened.

I wanted to comfort her and help her get warm. And the next thing I know is that my bones feel like their cracking again.

Suddenly I look at myself and see I'm a four legged creature with fur. I'm too big to be a cat. But I brush of my curiosity and trot to where the young woman is. I see her and I lay down beside her trying to give her some warmth.

"W-What's a good little d-doggy like y-you doing here?" She said shivering.

I whined and nuzzles closer to her.

She finally fell asleep and I found soon, I did too.

-next morning-

I woke up with a jolt at hearing a trash can being knocked over.

"Hey pretty little lady! Get up!" He was kicking her.

She yelped in pain, and I got up I began snarling at the man.

"Aww look at this. A stupid little mutt's tryna protect you!" He laughed.

I charged and bit his leg trying to get him away from her.

He kicked me in the stomach and I felt furious.

"Stop don't hurt it!" The woman said talking about me.

I felt myself change into a human, and said, "leave her alone."

The man saw me briefly before I turned into something else. I looked down and saw scaly talons. The woman looked at me in awe and fear. The man screamed and ran.

I tried yelling at him but fire came out instead. I changed back into my human form.

"What the hell..." the woman whispered.

"I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you."

"That was awesome! What else can you turn into?!" She Asked with childlike enthusiasm.

"Uh I don't know..."

"Oh my name is Ivy. Ivy Pepper!"

"Don't I know you?"

"Uh I don't believe we've met."

"Yeah we have. Arkham. I think you were in the cell beside me before I was moved."

"You're her?!"

"Umm yeah?"

"Wow wait until cat hears about this! She's gonna flip!"

"Who is cat?"

"Oh her real name is Selina but we all call her cat!"

"Oh okay. You're surprisingly calm about all of this?!"

"Well yeah this is Gotham, weird things happen all the time" she said shrugging her shoulders.

"So... I have to go now.."  I said feeling very awkward and outspoken.

"Oh... okay..."

"See ya around Ivy."

"See you later."

I was thinking I wanted to get out of there fast, and my bones were cracking again. I suppose I'm going to have to get used to that.

"Wow a cheetah!" I heard Ivy shout as I raced off.

I guess that's what I had turned into. I'm going to have to practice. So I guess I'm a shapeshifter? I wonder if I can turn into something that can fly?

Wait didn't I turn into a dragon earlier?! So maybe I can turn into animals and creatures that are fictional?! Or a dinosaur?! Oh this is going to be so cool!

As I got farther from prying eyes, I shifted back into my human form. As soon as I saw the coast was clear. I walked to the pier. I needed some relaxation. I can think here. It's so pretty when no one else is around.
No one to pollute the area with nonsense and crime. I hugged my knees to my chest. And began thinking.

Wondering what I could have or should have done differently. I mean maybe I should have just stayed in Arkham. Then I'd at least have some clue as to what was going on around me...

I feel like a baby who is just looking at everything, who is so bewildered at what it's seeing. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. Who I am anymore.  Where do I go from here? I don't belong anywhere I'm a freak. I don't understand why this happened to me.

I just don't get it. What am I supposed to do? I mean that little girl in the weird meadow said to do what's right with it. But in a town full of weirdos, criminals, and wealthy people, what is right? I mean what I think is right might not be what someone else thinks is right. What I think is wrong, someone else thinks is right.

We all have different moral compasses. And some of us don't have one at all.