Issue 1 Downtime

Theresa stood on the roof with Mister Monkey on her shoulder. She sighed as she looked out into the surrounding jungle and she offered the monkey a piece of fruit before crossing her arms. The burn on her arm was still an angry red, but she did her best to ignore it. Across the sky, clouds rolled and rumbled, threatening rain as they moved ever closer.

"Looks like rain. Just in time too, got the rain barrels set up back at the zoo. How's your arm?" Vertie asked as she took a seat and looked out over the jungle city.

"Still hurts," she said, "But not as much. It needs to rain." As she said that, the clouds rumbled again and lightning lanced out, striking some object out in the jungle.

"This is still England, I wouldn't expect anything less. It may hurt for a time, but here." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a green plant, it's roots wrapped in damp cloth. "Aloe. Found it at the wax museum, your jungle's pretty well stocked. If you know what to look for."

"My jungle," she said, almost in a whisper. She didn't look at Vertie, her eyes instead staring vacantly off into the distance.

"Yes, Theresa. Yours. Mother Earth and Father Sky call you daughter. At least that's how Silvermane of the Pride would have told it."

"Daughter... parents..." She muttered, shaking her head slowly. She reached out a hand and beckoned and the clouds scudded closer, building and spreading out further across the jungle. "So many things need to heal," she said quietly, "Earth, Randa, Jenn, Brigid... you."

"That is why I am here. To help, to heal in a way. I've never done well alone. My animals help, but having you, Jen and Brigid...you lunatics are the closest thing I have to family."

"I'm not me... not what I used to be," she said and another lightning bolt struck a tall tree. "But it's good that you're here."

"None of us are and can never be again,that part of growing up, but yes. You were hurt far worse then any of us, but you aren't alone." Vertie smiled.

"No, not alone. Never alone" she said. She reached out a hand and the clouds stalled, visibly beginning to dump their rain on the jungle in front of them.