~Of Her Past~

The team was planning a surprise party of Kittina. Her hatchingday was coming up soon. Kit didn't seem to notice.

Nosedive & Duke enjoyed having her around. SHe did all their chores for them. & when I say she did all their chores, I not only mean Dive & Duke's, I mean everybodys chores.
She would wake up at 6 & do the typical chores. The laundry, the cleaning, make them a good breakfast, & if they had hockey practice that morning, she'd set out their equipment. She did most of the cooking if not all of it when they ate at home.
Wildwing & Mallory liked her because she followed orders without a question, almost fearfully. She especially obeyed Wildwing's rules. She obviously didn't like his rule that she couldn't go out of the Pond without someone with her or with Wildwing's knowlecge, but she followed it, even though she didn't get out often because of it.
Anic & Grin liked her because she was quiet. & Didn't bother them or anyone with stupid silly questions like Duke & Nosedive did. Or with loud music which she always was listening to.
Tanya liked having the extra help in the lab & with Drake one when Nosedive or Duke frigged up the programming somehow.
Elix like her, he just did. He was trying to call her his girlfriend, but she never let him or anyone touch her, let alone kiss or hug her. He got her out on a few dates, but she didn't seem to notice that they were dating.

"Kittina, take the day off tomorrow. Sleep in, watch cartooons, do anything, but just take tomorrow to relax, alright. You've been doing more than your fair share of chores around here" Wildwing ordered her softly, giving her a glass of milk before sending her off to bed.
She did as told, werily, not trusting Wildwing, or the others. She took a slow sip of her milk as she went through her bedroom door, locking it as soon as it was closed. The others rushed to their rooms, then to the garage with boxes, bags & parcels in their arms. Getting into the Migrator, they headed out to Mookie's place, a loft of a big apartment bulding. It was pretty big & roomy, just the place to have a party.

"Wildwing, get real, Kit won't sleep in" Nosedive said, climbing a ladder "she's to much of a work acholic" he was stringing up some party steamer's.

"oh I have a feeling that she will babybro" Wildwing said with a silly grin as he finished wrapping his present he had for her.

"& what makes yah say dat, Wing?" Duke asked signing the card he had to go along with his gift.

"oh, only the fact that I slipped two sleeping pills into her milk" Wildwing shrugged "she'll be out till 12. She needs the rest" Wildwing said as they finished setting up the place. It was going to be a small, but total bash. Thrash, Mookie & Buzz were coming. Along with a few of Kittina's computer friends who Wildwing had insisted on meeting, when Kittina went to met them in real life. They were alright, a little bit on the insane side, but Kittina trusted them, that was good enough for Wildwing after he had met them.

"is it me, or have everybody noticed how scared she is?" Anic asked them all as they drove back to the Pond, stopping at an all night pizza parlor because they had skipped supper after taking care of Dragaunus once again.

"I know what you mean Anic. It's like she's paranoid about people getting to close. She won't even let me touch her, & im courting her damit!" Elix exclaimed in a hushed tone, as not to disturb other customers.

"oh, that's gotta be cold brother-man" Nosedive teased in pitty.

"she's a good solider that's what she is. You don't find very many ducks nowadays that will strickly follow orders or the rules" Mallory poked Elix in the side "she was only 13 when the saurians hit Puckworld, Elix. That had to be hard enough, let alone that anybody that she could of valued as a friend could of turned traitor"

"but its just not fair on her side Mallory. She was taken from her home, from a loving family & friends, to this planet, unwillingly, to fight in a war that she didn't even know existed, with no hope of going home. Having to live with 8 total stranger's, one of which is an ex-con, another the size of a snowjet, ones trigger happy, & anothers right up her alley in academics" Elix stated, stabing his straw into his milkshake.

"you sure your not talkin` `bout yourself Elix? cuz she's never said anything `bout her parent's tah me, or about her past" Duke pointed out to him. They looked back & forth at each other. Trying to find someone that Kit had talked to about her personal history. They all stared at Tanya afterwards.

"she might work with me a lot guys, but she's never talked to me. She'd never even told me her middle name. Just think about it. We know less about Kit's past than we do about Duke's" Tanya teased him "no offense Duke, but we know where you come from, & what kind of life you led, & that you have siblings. We know what kind of person you are. But when it comes to Kit.......it's just plain zlich. We only know that her H-day's today because of her student id card she had in her pocket" Tanya grew silent, thinking about something "that reminds me, I have to ask her about any allergies, or medical conditions that we should be aware of"

"we have to consider what we know about each other guys. I mean, there's things about our pasts that even ourselves want to forget" Nosedive pointed out in a joke, Wildwing messed up his hair, & gave him a shove.

"your one to talk baby bro. I know everything about you" Wildwing joked.

"if only I could tell you bro....if only I could tell you" Nosedive sighed, making Wildwing worry about it.
But they all knew that Nosedive spoke the truth. They all had things about their pasts they wanted to forget, to bury, to burn, to have forever forgotten. Some had more to hide than others, people like Duke. Some mearly believed that the past was just the past, & nothing more. That it wasn't something to remember.

"if she's hiding something, I say let her hide it. She'll let us know what it is when the time is right" Duke's brain finally came to a conclusion. They all nodded their heads in agreement "it's probably just something silly & completely innocent that she done as a hatchling that she's ashamed of. She's a good kid, probably has a good family, parent's that care about her"

"who knows man, who knows" Nosedive stated as the Migrator docked in the garage, they left the Migrator & went to their respective rooms, & getting ready for bed.

They're toughts were all on different topics. Solume in fear, bright with joy, sad with lonlyness, pain & regret. Missing those that they had left behind,......... those that had left them behind.

It was morning. Everybody was waiting for Kittina to wake up. Wildwing checked her room, using his own code which overrode anyother security comands. In the hummock of a bed, was lump, large from the thick blanket that covered it. The room was slightly in a mess, papers, boxes, books, & clothes lay about the place. He didn't care if it was messy, he couldn't scold her, Nosedive's was a warzone & he never made his brother clean it up. Peeling back the blanket, he smiled under the Mask, seeing Kittina fast asleep, like a little angel. He brushed a wild strand of her hair out of her face, kissed her forhead & tucked her back in. On the way out, he tripped over some books, falling, he caught himself on the edge of Kit's dresser, knocking over a few things that were propped up on the dresser. He grimaced, hoping he hadn't woken her up. He looked, she meerly mumbled a few words in her sleep.

"no....don't.....Jamie...." where her words. Wildwing shrugged & shook his head, guessing that she was having a wacked out dream. He left the room, locking it back up, he went back to the Gallery.

"well?, is she up?" Duke asked him, eager to get the party started.

"calm down Duke" Wildwing chuckled at him "the party's not until supper. & we still have to find out a way to get her there, while she still won't expect the party" he stated.

"already figured that out bro. We take our cars & scoot on over to Mookie's. You stay here, tell her that your taking her out for supper. & instead of the normal resturaunt, you take her to Mookie's. & well.....you can guess the rest" Nosedive said.

"but is she up?" Duke repeated his question.

"no. She's sleeping like an angel. I even made a racket when I tripped over some of her things. She only mumbled some words in her sleep" Wildwing shook his head "why?"

"good, `cuz I still got her gift in my room. I forgot it last night" Duke stated "I don't wanna have her seein` it while im takin` it to my car, you know" Duke ran off to his room.

"how in world could he be the best theif on Puckworld, I'll never know" Mallory shook her head jokingly.

"hey, your dating him" Anic pointed out, only to get body slammed to the floor.

"I am not! dating him!" Mallory was in denial.

They all went along with Nosedive's plan. But something went wrong when Wildwing was bringing Kittina to Mookie's place. They had passed the resturaunt, leaving Kit in a bit of confusion.

"Wildwing?.........I thought you said we were going to the normal resturaunt, where the rest of the guys were?" Kittina asked him. She was sitting unusually close to the door. Wildwing was drumming a tune from the radio with his figners on the steering wheel as they approached a red light.

"we aren't" Wildwing told her, not looking at her, he couldn't see the nervousness on Kittina's face.

"then where are we going Wildwing?" Kittina asked him, the truck came to a stop at the red light.

"you'll see Kit. It's a surprise" Wildwing told her, impatiently waiting for the traffic to pick up.

"where are we going?" Kit repeated.

"I told you. It's a surprise" Wildwing told her. A second latter he was surprised to hear her door quickly open & looked in time to see her getting out of the truck "Kittina!" he called, leaning over trying to grab her, but the seat belt held him back. She slammed the door in his face & ran, it was dark, & he couldn't see her through the tint on the windows "damn!! what the hell does she think shes doing?!" he cursed. He pulled into the nearest parking lot, while calling the others on his com.

"what is bothering you my friend?" Grin answered him.

"it's Kittina! When I passed the resturaunt, she asked me why I past it. I told her we weren't going there & that where we were going was a surprise. We stopped at a red light & she just up & bolted out of the truck!" Wildwing replied back, grabbing the keys he locked the doors of the truck & took off in the direction that Kittina's homeing beacon on her Com was showing, Mousebreath tailed close behind him. The Icekitty had been left behind in the truck with Wildwing by Kittina, who took the blasted cat everywhere.

"well where is she?" Elix asked nervously.

"if I knew that I wouldn't be asking you guys for backup would I?!" Wildwing snapped. across the com wav's "her homing beacon's runnin` like wildfire on my tracking screen"

"we'll be there as soon as we can" Tanya replied "we have to explain a few things to her friends first"

"im sorry guys. But the parties cancelled until furthur notice" Duke told them. They shrugged, worried, but they went home. They found Kit's com, lying on the ground not far from where she had got out of the truck.

"I don't get it, why would she just run off?!" Wildwing exclaimed, worrying about Kittina.

"she couldn't of gotten far bro. I mean, she's never been outside the Pond all that much. She doesn't know where she's going" Nosedive told him as they searched for her.

"that's whats worrying me baby bro. She's never been alone before!, she could get into some deep trouble if Dragaunus finds her all alone" Wildwing replied.

~~~
The Subway ran under the Park, a subway station existed in the middle, & at each of the north, south, east & west entrances/exits of the Park. They found her, cowering at the bottom of the steps of the west station. Kittina was scrunched up, sobbing in fear. Her face, including her beak, hid behind her arms. She looked like a tiny little kid, afraid. Like a toddler who had been seperated from her mom.
But she wasn't alone. A drake was with her. He was tall, mildly built, & handsome. But he was also pretty freaky looking, his hair was long, done up in many thick braids, that were a bright neon green. He was dressed in black pants, tucked into combat/jetblade boots, a purple shirt with weird decorations, three fingered gloves, a belt with round badge like stones, with an austrailian hunters hat that had almost matching stones. The shadow of his hat hid most of his face/features.
The drake was kneeling next to Kittina, holding her in his arms, trying to comfort & calm her down.

"who the hell are you?!" Wildwing asked, everybody quick changed into their battle gear, drawing their weapons, pointing it at the drake. Kittina whimpered fearfully, & he held her tighter.

"put your weapons down. Im one of you. Do you want my union number, or my Puckworldian name?" the drake answered them calmly, looking up at them. In the dim light of the 90% broken light bulbs of the subway stations steps, they could see a metal plate covered most of the right side of his face.

"one of us?" Mallory repeated.

"union number?" Duke questioned.

"im BRAWN #2347812331, my Puckworldian name is Warez. I was sent here by the BRAWN council within Limbo, to help you destroy Dragaunus & his hench men, & then send you back to Puckworld" he said calmly in reply.

"it looks like Kittina trusts you, why doesn't she trust us? she's never seen you before" Wildwing told him.

"because she's heard of me before, & knows she can trust me" Warez replied, Kittina held him a little tighter "let me explain something first before you try to kill me" he looked over to Mallory, who was a little aggitated.

"go ahead" Mallory grumbled.

"Kittina's had a rough life..........believe it or not, but her parent's hated her. They were drug junkies. Ignoring her, & when she wasn't ignored, she was abused. More verbally than physically. Her best friend when she was 10, was a boy named Jason, who had an older brother, named Jamie. They're very much like Nosedive & Wildwing. But on her 11th H-day, she went to see Jason, only to find him out of town. Jamie was home, he told her he'd take her out to supper......but when they passed the resturant he said they'd be going to. Kit asked him why he had drove past it. He said he was taking her somewhere else, & that it was a surprise. Being a trusting little kid, she played along. But in the end, he raped her. Kittina couldn't tell anyone, no one would believe her. Who would believe a 10 year old with an imagination? Jamie kept on raping her like that until he was killed when Dragaunus invaded Puckworld" Warez explained to them. Leaving them extremely surprised.

"but why'd she run away from me?" Wildwing asked, not making the connection. Warez shook his head sadly.

"it was the same situation Wildwing. Her birthday, the older brother of someone she knew, same type of clothing, same words, same type of transportation............during that moment, Kittina felt like it was happening all over again. After that happened to her, she could never trust anyone after that. Afraid they'd hurt her like everyone else in her past had hurt her" Warez stated. Kittina had stopped sobbing, holding Mousebreath in her arms, it purred to her comfortly. Trying to make her forget. She, trying her best to forget it all.

"I...I...didn't know" Wildwing stammered. Not sure if he should say anything to Kittina, hug her, or say everything.

"its not your fault. We are the only one's to know about it, beside's the now dead Jamie & Jason" Warez added "the confused mind of a child acts in mysterious ways" he rest his beak on Kittina's head, rocking her in his arms.

"what happened to your face?" Nosedive asked him.

"old scars my friend.....old scars" Warez joked in a sigh "small parts of me lost in battles, & forgotten wars. I lost this part of my face to a saurian just recently. What I've lost has been replaced by robotics"

"Kittina....im...im sorry. I never meant to scare you" Wildwing knelt down in front of her, she shyed away from his gaze, holding back Mousebreath who made a hiss & a sweep at Wing's face with his claws. "I was taking you to Mookie's place. We were throwing you a surprised party, its your 16th Hatchingday, remember?" he spoke softly.

"go away........" Kittina whimpered "..........im a lost cause......." Wildwing grimaced & drew away, back to the group made by the rest of the team.

"Kittina.....im going to let go of you.......everybody's not like Jamie & Jason..........you can trust these people....." Warez told her. Letting go, he drew away, standing up straight, he backed away & joined the team groupie. They now saw that he was as tall as Anic. Kit stayed where she was. Sitting in the corner at the bottom of the flight of steps. Cradling Mousebreath who licked her face, rubbed against her cheek & neck, purring loudly.

"Kittina........Kit.......take my hand....." Elix knelt in front of her, offering his hand to her "im not going to hurt you Kit. I'll never hurt you.......I just want to be your friend, & in time, maybe more.......but for me to be your friend, I need you to trust me......" Mousebreath nudged Kit's hand, encouraging her "come on" Elix gave his most trustworthy smile "lets go to that party Wing was talking about. We've been planning it for weeks" Werily, she took his hand. Elix smiled brightly, going around to her side, he wrapped his arm around her & helped her to her feet. Led her up the stairs.

"~oh sure. Mousebreath tries to kill everyone whenever they try to touch Kit, but when Elix does it, that stupid cat makes Kit go along with him~" Anic whispered to Wildwing as they followed close behind the two. Warez went with Wildwing, explaining to him in more detail why Kittina didn't like him.

~~~
"but I still don't get it. Im her leader, she listens to every comand I give her. But she's still scared to death of me" Wildwing told Warez who let out a heavy sigh.

"let me put it this way. She's scared of authority. She's scared of your position. It's not you as yourself, it's just your position in life. Stop wearing that Mask so often, & act more like a fellow comrade, & she'll trust you more. She can't get past the Mask" Warez told him as they pulled up in front of Mookie's place. They got out of the truck to see everyone else going through the door.

"so it's like stereotyping, right?" Wildwing asked him.

"yeah, its like that with her" Warez agred with him.

"show her myself as an individual, & she won't be scared of me. I can't have a player that's scared to death of my every move. A leader's no good with a follower that's scared of him" Wildwing told him.

"finally! he's got it!" Warez joked in relief "that's the exact same thing Drake DuCaine said about my kind" he slapped Wildwing across the back "Limbo Surfer's were scared to death of the Mask until we learned to look at the person behind it"

"your a limbo surfer?" Wildwing looked at him in surprise "but they're only legends"

"hey. Before the Invasion, you & Canard thought that the Mask was only a legend. But your baby brother believed it was reality. & reality it is. All legends & myths have some truth to them, some more than others. & unfortunately, it's only kids that have the faith. Some more than others. But all of them lose the faith as they grow up" Warez told him "Kittina is one of the very few who believed in Limbo Surfers"

~~~
The party went as well as it could be expected. Kittina forgot all about what had happened, surpressing it in the back of her mind.
Mallory had given her a dress, which Kit had no comment on.
Duke had given her a new computer game which Kit had been wanting to get.
Tanya gave her some computer hardware that she looked foreward at installing.
Nosedive admited that he had a no brainer at what to get her. So he just got her a pair of carpenter pants, tank top, & a new cap that was way to big for her head.
Grin gave her a crystal pendant necklace.
Wildwing had the biggest gift of all for her, a pocket knife he had seen her adoring in the store, that she didn't get because she was to young & thought he wouldn't let her keep it.
Warez told them that he had been notified of the event, & had been sent on the H-day with a pair of special gloves worn by organic BRAWN employee's. Those three fignered mits. One finger for the thumb, another for the index, & a wide one for the other (for ducks) 2 fingers. The gloves had a funny looking icon that Kit liked.
Mookie gave Kit a new cd & a computer program.
& Thrash gave her a subscription to her favorite comic book, Pokemon, & a Pokemon Nintendo game.

They all noticed a change in Kittina. She was acting a lot more carefree, & Mousebreath finally let Wildwing touch her.