TT-Animals 26

The Wolf 3: Bond

It Is Impossible To Severe The Connections Of The Heart…

Continuity: A Week And Four Days After Protect

He—he remembered what happened that day. Raven had taken an unusually strong blow from Doctor Light. Beast Boy didn't have to think at that moment, just react. There was a sudden flash of light, a sting pain that ripped through his entire body and then….nothing.

For a moment he had been swimming in darkness, in the reaches of his own mind. Beast Boy had not sense of direction in his own, what was up or down. He felt as he was floating that his, till he was laying on a grass surface, of a jungle setting.  'Where am I?' He thought as he sat up, clutching his head. 'And why am not wearing a shirt?'  

After the thought, a rustling could be heard to close by as his ears perked up. Instinctively, BB slipped into a Zulu defensive stance taught to him years ago, only to have his guard broken as a pink blur tackled his waist.

At the sound of a girlish giggle after he came to from an accidental blow to the head, the Changeling opened his eyes to see nothing than Raven sitting on his stomach….wearing a bright pink cloak. 'Raven' removed herself off of him to sit beside him, sitting on her legs. Clutching his head once again, BB turned to 'Raven'. "Hannah?" He asked, as Raven's emotion of Happiness nodded, "What are you doing here? Where is here?"

The emotion giggled again before wrapping her arms around his neck, "How else could I be here, silly? This is your mind, BB." They were in his mind? But- but how was that even possible? "You remember taking that hit for Raven right?" Yes, of course, but what did that have to do with-"Helped heal your physical wound, but your mind shut down from the immense pain…" Hannah's grip tightened a little around him. She said nothing, but BB could hear her cries.

"You were induced into a coma, Beast Boy. You have been for the past month." BB, who had wrapped his arms around the girl who was clutching him so tightly, looked up to see another 'Raven' dressed in a golden yellow. Knowledge, or Natalie as he referred to her, entered from the same place as Hannah…except she wasn't alone. What walked by her side was a green tiger and green black bear.

Now BB wasn't surprised by the animals himself-he had seen that coming, after all it was his mind-but it was the animal's eyes that caught his full attention: the tiger's eyes were orange, and the bear, light blue. But first he had to address what was said by the emotion before thinking about the animals. "I-I'm in a coma?"

After he and Hannah stood up, the normally Happy emotion now going over to the tiger and petting it behind the ears. "Yea, BB. You're starting to mentally recover and reawaken, which is why you've reached your mindscapes plane. The darkness you were in earlier was because of the coma." Happy explain as the tiger purred delightfully at her touch and she wiped away her tears with the opposing hands.  

The Changeling turned to Natalie, his look asking the unsaid question of 'But that doesn't explain how you're here.' Natalie pulled down her hood before speaking. Her eyes were golden were purple should have been. "Actually it does. Do you remember the mental bond Raven and our brother has?" Beast Boy crossed his arms, tilting his head in confusing.

He snapped his fingers finally, and Natalie couldn't help but smile, "Well it seems a much stronger bond has been established between you and her. Raven has not been meditating properly, so her power seems to be leaking out unconsciously. Since you're the closest person to her, it has slowly been affecting you thus allowing your mind to start working correctly.  The connection between you two, at the moment, allowed a portal from her mind to yours."

BB nodded, slowly taking in all that he had just learned. "So who was it that convinced you to go through the portal? I bet it was Brandi, wasn't it." A loud boisterous laugh came from the left of Beast Boy, and a green cloaked Raven appeared with a red eyed green Robin on her shoulder. "Nah, BB it wasn't me. Truth be told, I was kinda nervous about tread into your mind of all places. I did want to come see you after what happened that day, but I couldn't bring myself to be Brave enough. Weird ain't it? The one who wanted the four of us to find you is standing right behind you."

Beast Boy's hand dropped to his side as he spun on his heels. Who faced him now was a red cloaked Raven, the embodiment of the Empath's Rage, her demonic side. Why is she here to? What could be her reason for coming to see me? The Changeling's thoughts were panicked, but for whatever reason he didn't go the defensive. This Raven closed the gap between them, extending a hand to caress his cheek. Beast Boy's natural reaction would be to flinch and step back away from this emotion….but his own emerald eyes were locked with this Raven's own.

There was sadness he had never seen in Raven, a look of care and worry that seemed so natural and yet out of place for some reason. "Rachel…" He whispered, but two grey fingers were placed to his lips. "I have half a mind to kill you right now, B." She said softly, and a tiny smile. "Do you have any I idea how worried I was?!" Rachel, Raven's Rage, wrapped her arms around Beast Boy. "What am I supposed to do without the one that calms me?"

The Changeling's eyes were wide in shock this emotions, mind reeling at the sight before him, but his body working on its own as he wrapped his arms around Rachel's waist.  As Rachel nuzzled his neck with her own, BB eyes lowered to the figure behind her. A wolf, with purple eyes the same shade as Raven's. What did all the colors mean that were associated with these animals?  BB had a guess, but he had to be sure.

"Nat?" The golden girl looked up at him, still stroking the bear's fur. "I-I don't understand. Why are you all acting so differently? And what's with the animals' eye colors? Shouldn't they be white?"  Beast Boy broke his embrace from the red emotion, only to have her arms wrap around his neck, as he turned to face Raven's Knowledge. She gave another small smile, seeming apologetic almost. "Beast Boy, you are much more intelligent than Raven is willing to admit. Why don't you tell me your own theory and I shall confirm your suspicions?"

"Does it have to do something with my mind? Is it causing you all to feel emotions that you wouldn't normally be able to?" Everyone stopped what they were doing and was silent for a second, looking at Beast Boy either surprised or in awe. "What? Am I right?" After surveying everyone's face (even the animals were stunned…) the Changeling crossed his arm and pouted "Nat, didn't you just say that I'm smarter than you all give me credit for?"  

Natalie lowered the hand that covered her gasp, blinking and looking to the other emotions before the putting her attention back on BB. "I-I didn't mean it to seem like I was surprised. Your actually correct, Beast Boy. Unlike Raven, where every one of her emotions is separated into its own entity, yours have fused together in a sense. Every emotion with certain similarities to another has been grouped together into one 'body'. This quality of your mind is having and after effect on us once we entered your mind-maybe even before, as in the case with Brave and her being Fearful."

BB was glad to have a proper explanation as to what was affecting Raven's emotions. But if what was said held truth…then didn't that mean…. "The animals that the four of you keep petting, they're my emotions aren't they?" In the split second after he said it, the four animals transformed into Beast Boy, each wearing a different color the same shade as their eyes. The blue clad version stepped up first, taking Natalie's hand as he pulled her beside him. "I was your Intelligence, originally. But now I'm also Wit, Skill, and Survival Instinct. Just call me Terrance."

The orange version smiled widely, "I'd be your Happiness, your Playfulness and your Righteousness mainly.  Reggie's the name." Reggie pulled Hannah towards him, spinning her forward to face BB and wrapping his arms around her waist. The next was the bird with the red eyes, his smile sly and mischievous, claws unsheathed from his nails. "I am your Anger, Your Courage, your Pain, the Fearlessness you feel in your heart in the face of battle. Anthony, if you will."  Brandi instantly took his hand, Anthony's smile warming up a little.

Beast Boy turned the last remaining animal, Rachel having let go of him to be next to the wolf. "You know who I am, boy. I need not reveal myself to you." The wolf growled with eyes piercing through the Changeling's body. The wolf started to circle Beast Boy's body, emerald orbs locked with lavender pupil less eyes. "You've already explained to our Mate, so it'll only take you a little while to connect the dots."

"Instinct." It wasn't a question as the wolf completed the circle, it was a statement. A purple light wrapped around its body, and this Beast Boy's smile was kind and welcoming. "Yes, you are correct. I'm am your Love, your Care, your Compassion, your True Instinct. You can call me Conrad." He put out a hand, and BB grasped it to give a strong shake and a smile. It got smaller though as he thought about is Instinct. Wasn't it Anger, not Compassion that drove the Beast inside of him? "Yes and no actually." Terrance answered his thoughts.

BB looked at him confused, causing Terrance to grin. "I'm you aren't I? Why shouldn't I be able to read your thoughts? About your question about the Beast, while it is true the chemicals that unleashed it reacted with your own inner Rage, your mind was not in control but your Heart was. Both times you released the Beast was it not for Raven's sake?"

BB looked to Conrad, who nodded as he held Rachel's hand. BB couldn't help but smile at the sight of his emotions and Raven's. It was exactly how he wanted it to be in reality. Beast Boy's hand went to his heart, as he suddenly felt a tug on his body. A panicked look came across his face as he looked to Terrance and Natalie, their colors reminding him of Cyborg and Bee.

"It's okay, Beast Boy, it's the sign that you're about to regain consciousness in the real world. Your time here, with the depths of your mind, is almost up." All the pairs of emotions parted from one another, standing side by side in a circle around him and held hands. Beast Boy took a deep breath, asking one more question. "Will either Raven or I remember any of this?"

Hannah shook her head, as Natalie answered for her, "No, BB, neither of you will remember what happened here." The teen's ears fell backwards in sadness, only to raise them at her wink, "Not that doesn't mean we won't. Don't worry things will be a little different from now on. Trust me, I'm Raven's Knowledge, I know these things."  Beast Boy smiled once more, before he his body image started to fade away. In a matter of seconds he was gone from the jungle platform of his mind racing towards a white light….