Lost Paradise

Theo padded along after Arrow sniffing the area and the sand, picking up the scents of the other animals along the way. Isola had joined the group and immediately had taken a liking to the little cub with his gorgeous clear blue eyes.

Frowning, Arrow glanced down at the wreath of flowers she held in her hand. They had been handmade by Isola as well as the other women in the village, but it wasn't that which puzzled her.

"If you live on an isolated island, how do you know about Christmas?" she asked curiously, looking to her friend who laughed heartedly and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Arrow, love, just because we're stranded on an island doesn't mean we don't know anything about the outside world," she said with a gesture to those from the other side of the island and Arrow lifted her eyebrows.

"Don't you have your own holiday traditions?" she asked, confused and Isola nodded as she handed a passing child a piece of wreath to hang around the entrance of her home.

"We have many, but this is something enjoyable we picked up from the Outsiders. We like it very much," she said with a warm smile as a sleek jaguar passed and she dropped a flowered wreath around her neck and the female growled softly in appreciation and continued on her way.

Arrow sighed and handed her wreaths to passing villagers who were grateful and thanked her for her hard work while the men were decorating the outside of their huts. Palm trees were decorated with strange luminous roses and lilies that only bloomed at night and glowed like small lanturns in the moonlight.

Theo gave a small playful growl and swat at the hem of Arrow's sarong until she glanced down at him and smiled. His tail flicked back and forth happily as he stared up at her lovingly, his eyes flickering to a wreath and she laughed, kneeling down as he jumped up to rest his paws on her knees, smelling the flowers. He growled again and tried to slip his head into one and she giggled.

"You want one too? Okay, here you go." She slipped one over his head and he sniffed the flowers before looking up at her adorably, his eyes shining with love and affection. He stretched his neck forward, closer to her face and she smiled and lowered the rest of the way so he could nuzzle her face.

"The two of you are just way too cute," Isola said seriously with a broad smile, her eyes shining with unshed tears and Arrow looked up at her in surprise.

"Are you crying?" she asked incredeously as she straightened and the woman brushed the tears away before they made a mess on her golden skin.

"It's nothing, just that most villagers don't get to experience that kind of connection with their animals. You are very special, Arrow," she said honestly as she smiled down at Theo and stroked his head, crooning to him in a baby voice while Arrow gazed around thoughtfully. Just as Isola had said, most of the villagers barely even paid attention to their animals.

"Are you always this slow?"

Giving a startled jump, Arrow whirled around to come face to face with Talon who looked more than a little irritated and pressed a hand to her heart and glared back.

"You have a bad habit of scary a body," she said with annoyance and his lips curled in a distasteful sneer.

"You have a job to do, but it doesn't mean you have all day to get it done. There is still plenty to do," he said seriously before strutting past and flashing that killer smile at Isola, who Arrow thought was ready to fall at his feet. Hearts were in her eyes and she twirled a piece of her hair around her finger as he talked to her.

Looking down, he saw little Theo staring up at him and glared in disgust. Reaching out, he nudged the leopard away, causing the tiny body to roll three times before he stopped and sat up dizzily and growled.

The slap echoed like a gunshot around the village and everything seemed to stop, the villagers staring in utter shock and surprise. She had just slapped the next Chief, but Arrow didn't care. She stood before Talon angrily, her hands curled into tight fists, her eyes molten green fire.

Surprised, all he could do was stare down at the little spitfire ready to murder him with just her eyes. Her red hair curled around her head and face like a fiery halo and her usual pale cheeks were flushed and red with anger. The fire that spit from those green eyes could render someone helpless.

"How dare you," she chastised quietly, her voice all that more effective as the bewildered man stared down at her in astonishment, his cheek turning red with her hand print.

Turning away, she bent down and gathered Theo in her arms and kissed the top of his head, murmuring to him as she headed back the way she came, leaving everyone standing there staring after her.

Breaking the silence, Isola began to laugh and soon the other villagers joined in and clapped Talon on the back.

"You are going to have your hands full with that spitfire!"

"She's got some guts, that one!"

Arrow heard the laughter and their comments and couldn't help but smile to herself. Stepping into the hut, she saw Honora decorated her own tiny little tree she had built from leaves and a thick branch. She looked up when Arrow stepped inside and watched the guilt flush the young woman's beautiful face.

"I may have hit your son," she said bluntly and Honora lifted her eyebrows.

"Oh?" she asked, knowing the girl wanted to speak so she continued with her tree and listened as Arrow launched into the story.

"He kicked the poor little guy and he rolled across the dirt like a rag doll! It made me so angry that I just..." she said, her face full of passion until she stopped and released the breath she had been holding with a frown. "I slapped him."

Honora chuckled as she placed the finishing touches on her tree and turned to the woman with a warm smile, patting her hand.

"Talon can be a very hard-headed person. He believes in tradition and usually every animal on the island bonds with a human, but in some rare cases, they don't. It is very unusal for this one to bond to someone not from the island. Can you hear him yet?" she asked curiously as she stroked Theo's head.

Arrow shook her head. "I haven't heard a peep. Is he too young maybe, because I can hear Zephyr and Thor."

"Did I hear my name?" a deep voice rumbled as Zephyr slipped into the hut followed by Amil who looked at Arrow sternly and folded his arms.

"I'm hearing about the spectacular show you've given in the village," he said with a raised eyebrow and Arrow lowered her head.

"I'm sorry, but he harmed Theo and I wasn't going to allow that," she said honestly looking at him apologetically, but he saw the determination in those green eyes and smiled wryly.

"You sure gave him a shock, that's for sure. You are the first woman to slap him in the face," he said with amusement as he walked over and sat on a bamboo chair at the table, placing his hands behind his head.

Arrow frowned and said nothing more about the subject as she watched Zephyr walk over and sniff at Theo, whose ears flattened with fear and his eyes were big and depthless. The big cat gave a chuckle and pressed his nose to the tiny black one.

"Don't be afraid little one, I won't do any harm," he purred with content and the tiny head cocked to the side before he growled happily and struggled in Arrow's grip. She put him on the ground and watched as he padded underneath Zephyr and poked his head out from between his front legs. The big cat purred away happily as Theo twisted his head to gaze up at him before falling over. Leaning down, Zephyr ran his tongue along his body to clean him up and Theo batted at his face playfully when he reached his belly.

"Oh my god, that's so cute," Arrow said with a smile as she watched the two of them and Zephyr lifted his head when he finished, leaving Thor to walk around him and settle with playing with his sleek black tail.

"I had cubs of my own once, so I love children of the animal and human variety," he said sincerely and Arrow laughed softly and stroked his head, no longer afraid.

"Do you know why he doesn't talk?" she asked as his eyes closed from her attention, his purring growing louder.

"All animals should be able to communicate with their humans, so there is a possibilty that he either cannot speak, the bond is still too weak, or he simply chooses not to," he said, giving his muscular shoulders a shrug.

Arrow sighed, frowning as she watched Theo. He seemed to know she was watching him because he looked at her and trotted over, growling softly. She gathered him in her arms and smiled down at him.

"How come you don't speak to me? Are you scared?" she asked softly as she stroked his fur and he simply stared back at her and she sighed and tilted her head.

"That's okay, you'll talk when your ready," she said with a warm smile and he placed a soft paw against her cheek and looked deep into her eyes with understanding. She scratched behind his ear and his eyes closed, when Isola came inside.

"Come, the Great Tree has been decorated and the sun is setting!" she said excitedly as she waved them out before disappearing to notify the others.

Arrow frowned as she followed them out and down the beach. "The Great Tree?"

Honora smiled and slipped an arm around her waist as they followed the rest of the village into the forest.

"The Great Tree is our lifeforce. Beneath the ground we stand on, every plant is connected to create the Lifeforce. It is a connection to the barrier that surrounds our island," she said wisely with a warm smile as they came to a clearing where the village stood.

Amazed, Arrow stared up at the tall tree, the trunk thick and wide as it stretched high into the sky, towering over the others in height. The entire tree was decorated with glowing flowers and garlands of flowers and wreaths. When the sun completely set and the moonlight rained down, the flowers came to life and glowed as bright as the stars in different colors and the villagers stared in awe and delight.

Honora and Amil and their children surrounded her and smiled. "Merry Christmas, Arrow."

Talon appeared amongst the group, his features oddly serene as he gazed down at her, holding out a glowing blue lily.

"Merry Christmas," he murmured and tingles sparkled along Arrow's flesh as she stared up at him before he moved away.

Smiling at the flower, she held it out to Theo who sniffed it curiously and looked up at her with a tiny roar as if to wish her happy holidays and she laughed softly. The tiny cub turned away suddenly and ran off without her noticing as she admired the beautiful flower Talon had given her. It was the first nice gesture he had done for her, and it made her feel fuzzy inside and warm.

She heard an odd gurgling sound and looked down in surprise just as the family awed and saw Theo sitting pretty holding a red rose in his mouth, his blue eyes filled with joy and satisfaction. She saw the quick glance the cub sent to Talon, a mocking one that said he did a better job than the Chief's son and Honora began to laugh.

Arrow accepted the flower, giggling as she placed it in her other hand with the lily and scratched his head happily.

"Thank you, Theo and Merry Christmas to you too," she said as she lifted him and pressed a kiss to his wet nose and he purred lovingly, rubbing his head under her chin and against her cheek as she laughed softly.

My first Christmas on the island...will it be my last?