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#1
Zana had seen the large mansion from a distance but she had yet to try and explore the property. Continuing on from the day before she set out with looking for her father on her mind. Today was going to be just that day to get both items done at once. A streak of determination was set upon her maw as she roamed the extensive dead gardens that surrounded the building. She hadn't found a way into the building yet, the jungle of frostbitten dead plants were keeping her at bay. They weren't really that interesting but her legs were so tiny and she kept getting tripped up over the flowers and long grasses as she moved about her way.

Pulling one limb from the vines of what was once morning glories she snarled and with a sudden fast pull she found herself rolling headfirst into the thorny tendrils of a climbing rosebush. Yowling in distress as she tried to untangle herself she felt the thorns tearing into her fur and tender paws. The poor girl was stuck, having lost the battle with the roses unless she wanted to feel the starp pains of the pricking thorns once more. Instead of moving she just threw her head back and cried. She was never going to find her father or escape from this little prison she'd falled headfirst into, this just wasn't her day.
#2
Minor powerplay here -- let me know if it isn't okay.
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She didn't remember why she had gone outside, but the stinging cold made her quickly regret coming out in the first place. At first it hadn't been that bad, but as she wandered around in the territory, there were places and pockets where the wind seemed to bite harder than it needed to. And after a while of being annoyed by it, she was making a hasty retreat to the mansion to hole up again. Corona knew it wasn't totally healthy to duck out of view as best as she could, but she did it anyway. It went against everything that she had ever read or said to someone, but it didn't matter or seemingly apply to her. She didn't know if she was bottling grief or rage or simply both, but the things that churned and toiled on the other side of her seemingly expression-less face were worse than any storm.



But once in a while, the little distractions that life threw in were a much needed relief, especially if they came in the form of a voice too high to be anyone she knew and much too young to be anyone that she was aware of. When that little yowl hit the cold January air, her hand had just grasped the old brass doorknob. It was just enough to stop her dead in her tracks and make her debate whether or not she wanted to investigate the source of such a pitiful sound. It only took a second of debate before she gave in and turned around, leaving the hollow entryway at the door and back into the cold wind that stung her nose and eyes. She rounded on the side of the mansion that she came to first, not hindered by the tall grass that got in her way, but definitely on edge.



That sound could have been anything, she supposed. A small animal, a puppy, a cat, who really knew. What she didn't expect to find tangled in the mess of the dormant gardens was a coyote. Not just any sort of coyote, but a very young one. A frown bent her face in half as she cut the distance between them and hovered momentarily, deciding how best to free the youth from her thorny prison of sorts. Reaching down between the brambles, Corona ignored the pinpricks of the thorns as she pushed them aside to grab the puppy by the scruff and lifted her out. It wasn't the most graceful or pain-free way of getting things done as no doubt the thorns grabbed her, they grabbed the child, but once it was done, it was done. But Corona didn't put her down just yet, only turned her to look her over carefully.

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#3
-all ok, long as characters don't eat/rape or beat the crap out of my characters when pp I normally don't care.

Zana couldn't help the tears that were rolling down her face as the thorns tore into her thin pelt, when it seemed all was lost and she'd be stuck there forever suddenly appeared a golden lady. The first blurry image she glanced and she thought it was the monster returning to catch her and she opened her jaws to wail louded. Suddenly she realized that she was being removed from the trap that had snared her, the thorns really hurt as they were ripped from her pelt but soon she found herself free, sort of.

The small lavender eyed girl blinked away the tears as she sniffled and tried to quiet the sobs as she dangled above the ground, quietly wondering if the face that was slowly clearing up before her was going to eat her since she hadn't put her down yet. She must be in trouble again since she'd been caught so easily, not even by a creature but by a plant at that! Her little nose was running as she crossing her little paws across her muzzle she whined softly, "I's sowwy.. won't comes back! No comes back!" She was such a coward, first sign of danger and she instantly was in trouble or needed a hero to come save her.
#4
Well, Corona hasn't resorted to cannibalism yet so I think we're OK on all fronts.
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She traded hands with the squirming and crying child, going from holding her by the scruff to just beneath her arms. She doubted being hung by the scruff wasn't comfortable and despite the very visible want of wanting to be put down, Corona didn't act on it. “You're all right,” she stated softly, ignoring the pleading. “I'm just looking you over to make sure you're not any more hurt than scratched up. The little girl had strange eyes, though by now Corona wasn't surprised by them. Everyone in Inferni either had some variation of red or gold, outside of there it seemed like the green eyes had dominated over most of the other eye colours. She didn't know whether to attribute it all to genetic defects or drugs or something else.



But once she was satisfied with her investigation of the girl, she set her gently on the ground and clear of the brambles before them, crouching low as not to seem as imposing or frightening. It was one of the lame factors of not being able to shift back; Corona was either towering over those who didn't shift or weren't shifted, or was being towered over by those who were. “What's your name and who's your mother? I've never seen you here before.” She seemed old enough to answer questions like that. If it weren't for the fact that she had been holed away for weeks, maybe she would have known more about who all had drifted in and drifted out. What was going on everyone else's little charming life.

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#5
The shift from being held by her scruff to being in the hands of the other for a moment made her cringe, wondering just why she was being handled and touched so much. She whimpered softly as those blue eyes seemed to dance before her face. She peeked through her paws to make certain she wasn't about to be eaten when the voice announced that she was alright and what she was doing. Pulling her paws away from her muzzle she gazed at the other, her orbs blinking repeatedly as she whispered. "I'm otay?" questioning what she already knew was true.

Within moments the child had found herself being placed back down onto the ground, a small squeak of protest was emitted as she tried to reach back out to the stranger who has saved her, whom moments before she'd believed was going to eat her. All she knew was that the ground here was not her friend and she'd rather not be down there. Sighing as she realized that she was stuck once more on the ground the child peered up at the face that had crouched down next to her. The questions she asked made her jut out her lip with a soft pout as she spoke softly. "I's Zwana Lie-choo.. gots nos momma, just monstwers.." she said with a sniffle. The lady had admitted that she'd never seen Zana before, the grey lilac eyed girl raised her nose up as she stated. "I stay wif Zeke?" or atleast she had stayed with Zeke, he said she could stay here while they looked for her daddy. She was never gonna find him, this was too big of a place for such small little paws.
#6
Sorry for the wait and I hope everything's okay. <3
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For the words that stumbled out of her mouth, Corona couldn't help but wonder just what her bringing up had to have been. She couldn't have come from Inferni, if only because in her (biased) thoughts she knew that they would have taught her to speak clearly. Better, if anything. Words shouldn't have been such a battle for her, but at least they were not mangled beyond some sort of understandable recognition. Despite her inexperience with conversing or dealing with children so young, she wasn't adverse to it and didn't outwardly express or otherwise show her disdain. Zana was accounted for, at least by her own words. Ezekiel had come back and brought someone with him, so it did not surprise her that he had chosen to keep an eye on another one. It was fitting to his demeanour, she decided.



“Ezekiel should keep a better eye on you,” she went ahead to say, more to herself than to the little girl. He was young himself though, but Corona didn't like the idea of wandering youth. Wandering was what had gotten Talitha into trouble, wandering was what had led many of them astray. It was the thought of wandering that had started to become adverse to her. “But I'm Corona,” she told her, reaching out to scratch the top of her head, “I'm Ezekiel's aunt. Were you trying to get into the house?” If she was looking for Ezekiel, it made sense that she would probably come to check out the house. Corona knew that he wandered its halls once in a while.

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#7
Zana sat there watching her rescuer as she never realized she herself was being studied. The child's mind wasn't a whirlwind of judgements to the woman above her, merely curious and trying to find a place where she belonged in the black and white of monsters and heroes. She didn't believe the golden woman would harm her but there was little she could do but trust her and find out as time moved on if she would turn like the other monster had. The little Lykoi girl had yet to realize the connection in her mind between women and the monster figure and how the males were easier to trust. Her moster was her mother, while her brother and cousin had been her rescuers (though Pepe infact had been the one to rescue her.) Perhaps she'd figure it out oneday, but today wasn't that day as she tilted her head back and forth as she listened to the tiny lecture from her golden family member.

When she made the comment on Ezekiel Zana scowled up at the co-leader and shook her head in exasperation. "How cans I find da if I can't looks!" she declared as she tried to find a good enough reason why she was out alone. She had escaped while everyone else in the den had been sleeping, she probably hadn't fooled the large leader of Inferni but he had kept still while she'd snuck around Zeke and Sab's snoozing forms and frisked out the front entrance. She pinned her ears back slightly as she worried that the woman would take her back to the den. She didn't want to be in the den, she needed to explore to find her father!

Perhaps the small one wasn't thinking straight, she was a small puppy after all, but it just wasn't connecting that she'd just had to be saved in the middle of the clan's lands. She should have a guardian(She probably should be under lock and key) but the girl was stubborn and strong willed, she would find a way to cause trouble. She glanced back to the house as her cousin, now called Corona, asked her about the mansion. Zana just nodded slightly as she actually managed to look guilty, remembering that she'd gotten lost in the garden itself and would still be stuck if Corona hadn't come along. "Yes.." She admitted quietly as she stared at her puppy paws.
#8
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Corona definitely believed that she deserved to have a guardian, but she did not condemn the idea of the girl wandering and exploring. After all, she had been young once as well, but because of her own experiences she knew what things could go wrong. But on occasion, she had once or twice entertained the thought of what it would have been like to have been destroyed by Meth, or taken by the estranged fellow who thought she had belonged to him. Or else far-fetched, like being raised entirely by her mother. “So you were looking for your father?” she asked, wondering if she had understood.



Now that was half a thought that hadn't totally occurred to her until that point. It was entirely possible for Zana to have been fathered by someone in Inferni. Actually, it was probably more likely, given the fact that she was sure there were more males than females in the clan. With that piquing the interest of her curiosity and the cold beginning to get to her, she thought maybe it would be better for them to get out of the cold. So without much warning, she scooped Zana up again and turned towards the mansion. “Why don't you tell me what you know about your father and I'll show you around the house here, hm?”
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#9
Zana's lilac eyes watched the golden lady before her quietly, not knowing if she was in trouble or not. She swollowed hard when Corona asked her if she had been looking for her father, after a moment Zana finally answered in the form of a slight nod. She had seemed to have to explain herself over a million times since she'd shown up in the lands with a name that she hadn't known held so much sway. She still didn't understand it all though she realized that atleast it meant she had family outside the monster.

The little girl stared down at her paws as she thought about the family she'd left behind, Dabi and Jebbers and Ty and Sky. She had liked them enough but the monster was always in the shadows snarling and growling, muttering and moaning. Her world had begun to fill with nightmares when she went to sleep and she was afraid of the beast. They had called it an accident but the monster has seemed to roar to lift after she'd been thrown in the fire.. had it been an accident, she would never know.

Lost in her little thoughts she hadn't expected nor been given much warning that she was about to go on another little adventure until she was scooped up. A tiny squeak was given as an answer to Corona as she spoke until she realized what the woman had said. Zana tried to look up to see the face of her family member as she agreed softly. "Okay.." the mansion seemed to bounce before her as she was toted towards the large building Zana had yet to figure out how to gain access to.

Her voice was tiny as she admitted, "I no knows much about da.. just that he's Lie choou and monster mets him once longs before I borned." Zana didn't really understand what any of that meant but she didn't mind rattling it off to Corona as they moved along. "Monster no finds him when she searched agains.." she said as though it was that simple. Zana didn't know that fathers normally stayed as a main part of a family and didn't just appear one day and were gone the next never to be seen again. She had a lot to learn about the real world now and how things seemed to have changed overtime.
#10
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Finding the mansion door ajar, Corona pushed it open easily and went inside, before setting the puppy on the floor so that she could roam once again. “Do you mean Lykoi?” she asked, slowing down the surname well enough so that perhaps Zana would catch onto it as well, instead of mangling it. She could only imagine who Monster was, but given that the girl was looking for her father, then it made sense that the “monster” was probably her mother. It was easy enough to surmise, but that left the question of who her father could have been; something that Zana and Corona both had little information about. Crouching down to even less intimidating once again, she pursued after the fleeting thoughts in her head. “Do you want me to help you look for him in here?” Maybe along the way, she'd be able to figure out just where she had come from. Clearly someone didn't keep a good tab on their children, monstrous mother or not.
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#11
Zana wiggled slightly as the family member opened the mansion and was getting ready to sit her down on the flood. When her paws touched the surface of the walkway she squealed and turned small circles as Corona spoke, asking her confirmation on the name she'd given. Little Zana nodded as she tried to copy the way the lady had said it. "Lieko?" She furrowed her brows together because she knew she still hadn't grasp the way it had been spoken but she didn't continue echoing a mangling of the name, instead she sniffed about the entryway until Corona joined her at her own level.

Her lilac eyes blinked up at the lady as she asked her another question. Her ribbon wrapped tail instantly started to wag as she nodded excitedly. "Yes! can you.. pwease?" her little eyes begged as her small body quivered with the thought of searching the scary large house for her daddy. She was holding together so well, expecting to find the male around every corner but not falling into a pitiful sad excuse when she was met with nothing. She jumped up to her paws as she circled around Corona, too excited to keep still. "We look now?" she asked, hope building in those strange grey lavender orbs.
#12
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“Lykoi,” she reiterated, “but I guess you're a little closer than before.” She was no speech pathologist, so it was a kink that Zana would be stuck working out on her own. No doubt age and hearing it being said would help, though. “And we can start looking whenever you want, just say when and pick a direction,” she prompted with a smile. Whoever had let her get away, monster or not, should have been ashamed. Mangling of the English language or not, she was endearing and in the right way. Or maybe she and Gabriel were just partial to children (funny on her part, given she had never had any, let alone the inclination to do so), seeing how many had flocked in and out of their ranks.
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#13
She softly repeated the word to herself as she tried to get it right. She really didn't understand what she was saying or doing wrong but the patience of the elder Lykoi was enough for her to have no fear of being punished for not simply being right the first time around. Her tail wagged softly as she was told they could start whenever she pleased. Her lilac eyes glanced up at Corona as she asked. "Can yous show me tis first?" she ducked her head shyly as she peered into the next room of the mansion, unsure of what exactly she was suppose to call the giant stone building. It was unlike any home she'd been in before.

Her little feet trembled, excited to be somewhere new where there were things she'd never seen or even heard of. She glanced back at the golden woman before shooting down the hallway a few paces and racing back. She really wanted to know the whole world inside and out and here was a good enough start as any.
#14
I apologise for the shortness. I am exhausted but can't go to sleep yet, argh. *shakes fist at being on call, cries*
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_____With a nod, Corona led Zana towards the indicated room nearest to them and gently pushed the door open so that they could both enter it. The room contained things that were most commonly found in an office, though for now Corona had elected it to be more of a storage room. With damaged paintings set against the wall and the desk littered with useless trinkets, she was reminded of one of my side projects she had taken to keep herself distract. The coyote, or hybrid, whatever Zana's father was couldn't be found in that room, but it didn't stop her from looking around anyway, or letting the little girl do the same. Who knew what would catch her lavender eyes next?

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#15
The tiny girl took a fast scurry into the room, excitedly thinking that her daddy just might be behind any door that Corona opened, though too soon she realized that he was not. Her tail drooped sadly as she glanced around the room looking for something or anything that could show her just where her father was but she was left with nothing but things from a world she couldn't understand. A painting of a human lay on it's side across the room and slowly Zana made her way through the office, her little paws scattering dust bunnies and bits of debri, leaving behind her pawprints plain as day.

She stopped before the painting and lightly touched it with her nose as she was greeted with a coating of dust that made her sneeze before she asked. "Was that?" She'd never seen a human before, or even a painting so close. There had been ones in the cottage on the beach where she'd been raised til now but she'd been so young and they'd been high up on walls and mantles that she'd never been distracted by them, but so close now, it was bound to happen.
#16
I like your avatar!
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Sure enough, Zana was quickly scoping out every and any angle there was to be seen or found in the room. Corona watched her, lazily surveying what was there on her own in a half-hearted attempt to help her. She couldn't help but have the passing thought of what it must have been like to be in her shoes; she had been unfortunate to have separated parents who didn't live all that far apart. Even though visits with her mother had far and few in between, she had never stopped loving her. She had never stopped loving her father. Corona doubted that she would, even if all they were happened to be insane and cursed and whatever else she had been told about them. Whatever they had called themselves.



But then Zana's voice had penetrated her thoughts, drawing her gaze away from a fixated point and to the girl as she eyed the painting. “That's a painting,” she said, stating the obvious only to elaborate, “of the creature who probably lived here before we did. They called themselves humans.” She knew an inordinate amount about them too from studying medicine, which had made them all the more intriguing to some regard. It was a wonder to her how they had lasted so long, but then again it was probably a wonder that canines had lasted so long. That they had been afflicted by something that had made them vastly superior to their documented mark-up. “Strange things, they were.”
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#17
After all the zooming about in the room Zana sat quietly before the picture of the humans and just stared at it. She had thought that the wolves looked a little strange when they'd shifted but this was way beyond anything she'd ever been able to imagine. When Corona began to explain everything to her she wrinkled her brows and glanced from Corona to the picture and back to Corona again. "Weird.." she said suddenly as she got back to her paws and moved across to investigate another room. She glanced back once at the painting again as she asked. "Where they go?"

She couldn't understand why they'd just leave all their things here and just disappear. She wasn't for certain what all the stuff was used for in the human home but everything sure was interesting. She didn't think she'd leave her stuff behind if she ever left these lands, but then again she didn't own anything either. She peered around another corner as she asked. "Are theres lots of us outs there?" she meant their family but the question was so plain it could have referred to half a dozen different things.


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