Lily turned slowly, watching the young, jet black filly trot around the areana on the lunge line. "Take it easy Night. We're not in a race here," she said gently, a hint of laughter in her voice. The filly just tossed her head, prancing slightly. Lily shook her head, chuckling. "Silly filly," she mused. She tucked a stray piece of her deep, chocolate brown hair behind her ear, keeping the filly in sight. After a few more minutes she gave a low whistle, her signal for the filly to slow to a stop. Lily walked towards Nightlock and undid the lunge line from her halter. She started to walk away, hearing the dainty hoofsteps of Night behind her. She smiled, knowing that the filly's training would be done within a few more weeks.

She opened up the barn door before standing off to the side. Nightlock trotted right inside and into her stall. Lily followed close behind, shutting the stall door before going to get her feed. Her German Shepherd, Macy, trotted at her heels, her one floppy ear bouncing slightly as she walked. Lily chuckled. "Hey Macy. How you doin' girl?" She stroked the dog's smooth back before taking the feed bucket and dumping it into Nightlock's manger. The filly almost immediately started to eat, flicking her ears. Lily smiled. "You're welcome," she said, straightning her mane from over the door before going to feed her other three horses. If it was one thing she loved, it was training her animals. Some people called her the greatest trainer around, being able to talk to animals and all. Lily had always said that she didn't talk to the animals, she just understood what and how they were feeling due to their body language. Heck, she could just as easily read a person as she could a horse, or a dog, or a bird, or any other animal. Lily sighed heavily before grabbing the rest of the feed buckets and pouring them into the other horses' mangers. Then, she went outside to the paddock and opened up the gate, giving a shrill whistle. Not even two seconds had passed before she was able to see the grey, chestnut, and white horses galloping towards the gate. Lily moved out of the way as the two mares and one gelding galloped out of their pasture and into the barn, going into their own stalls. Smiling, Lily shut the gate behind them. She walked into the barn, seeing the four horses eating happily. She gave a nod of approval before going into her own house for her own dinner.

Lily leaned against the kitchen counter as her sushi heated up in the microwave oven. Though she wasn't the tallest person, she wasn't the shortest, coming to a full height of 5, 7". She was lean and muscular, mostly from her time training the animals and her skin was a dusty tan from being outside all day. Her long, curly, deep chocolate brown hair stopped just above her shoulder blades, framing her face and highlighting her sterling silver eyes. She knew that she would have been beautiful, had it not been for her "accident" a few months beforehand, but she didn't really care. She was more interested in her animals than guys or dating anyway.

Along with four horses and a dog, she also had two birds, a macaw and a pergerine falcon, two cats, and some coyotes that would visit her country home every now and again for some meat scraps. 'Speaking of which,' Lily thought, 'The coyotes will be here tonight.' She grabbed her sushi from the microwave, picking it up with her fingers while going through her refrigerator, grabbing any leftover meat she could find. Her scavenging concluded of a slightly charred hamburger, some hotdogs, and a few old slices of ham. While chewing her sushi, Lily set the leftovers just outside the back screen door, knowing the coyotes would grab it when they were ready. After that, she went back inside to finish her dinner, sitting on her worn couch to watch a few minutes of TV.

Duke finished his workout, using a small hand towel to wipe the sweat from his face and neck. Scarlett had already finished her workout, draining a bottle of water and watching Snake Eyes meditate. Duke was reaching for a bottle of water when Ripcord burst into the training room. "Yo dudes! We got a mission. General Hawk said to meet him in his office ASAP!" he said excitedly to the other Joes. Duke looked over at his friend. "Alright, Rip. We'll be there in a sec," he said, finishing drying himself off and swallowing half a bottle of water. Scarlett and Snake Eyes were already by the door, waiting patiently for the rest of the Alpha Team to join them. Duke joined them soon after, and they followed Ripcord down towards General Hawk's office.

Everyone entered General Hawk's office in a single file line, quickly saluting before waiting to be briefed for the mission. General Hawk gave a small nod. "I have someone I need you to "pickup" someone for me. Her name is Lily Rivers. She's an animal trainer in Fort Worth, Texas." Duke raised an eyebrow. "Why would you be interested in an animal trainer, General?" he asked. General Hawk waved his hand dismissively. "None of your business at the moment, Duke. I'll tell you about her later. You might have a hard time getting her here though. She's not a big fan of the military at the moment, and she is slyer than a fox at that. Here's her file," he said, handing the file to Duke. He took the file, looking over Lily's profile. There was a picture of her in the top, righthand corner. Duke nodded his head slowly. She was attractive, he had to admit, but something caught his eye. "What happened here, Hawk?" he asked, pointing to the flaw in the picture. The older veteran took a quick glance before waving it away. "That would be the reason she's not in the mood for the military," he answered, giving the folder back to Duke.

Confused and curious, Duke took the folder, scanning it again quickly, before handing it over to Ripcord and the rest of the Alpha Team. He saw Ripcord's and Scarlett's eyes widen at the flaw on the young woman. "How old is she?" Scarlett asked, looking over at General Hawk. "She is eighteen, but she is turning nineteen in just a few months," he answered. "For now though, you need to get going. She doesn't stay in the same place long." The team nodded, turning to go before General Hawk halted them. "One more thing. You must be careful with her. She will do anything to protect the animals on her property, including hurting others. She's a Fifth Degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do and was once a sharpshooter. She can easily hurt any of you, except for maybe the exception of Snake Eyes," he said, nodding towards the black cladded ninja. "Good luck and don't get hurt." The team, now less excited to get the, apparently dangerous, young woman, filed out the door and headed towards a large armored, black Jeep. They quickly and quietly loaded into the Jeep before pulling out and heading towards Fort Worth, Texas.