Zenna ~ Female ~ 18

[Zenna]

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[atrb=background,http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab291/pepperbella3386/TaroTableImage-1.jpg] [scrolly:h(310),w(290),sy] Name: Zenna Nickname: Z | Zen Gender: Female Age: 18 | Born in Early 153 ASC | Year of the Ox Element: Fire Companions: Karu the Eagle Wolf Resides In: Republic City, mostly, but often finds the Air Temples intriguing. When she has nothing better to do, she stays on Ember or Crescent Island. Appearance: Although she's pure Fire Nation, Zenna's hair is a few shades lighter than normal. But, like, expected, she's always been a brunette. Though her hair turns much darker in the Winter, to become the true Firebender coloring; Her eyes are a different story. A pale blueish-gray, she has the irises of an Airbender. She has even been mistaken for an Air Nomad several times in her life, due to this fact. But with no Airbender ancestors to be traced in her blood, the color has simply been classified as a birth defect. As well as her skin tone, she is slightly paler than usual, and that adds to the Air Nomad effect on some people. Over all, her appearance in general is hard to deal with at times, with so many strangers questioning her. The big setback to the accusations was her muscular structure. Though lean, Zenna's body is very toned, in perfect harmony with her height of 5'7". Zenna is a huge fan of jewelry. She likes to wear gold and silver bracelets and necklaces, and even the occasional ring. She once achieved a metal watch, too, in one of her drive-by's. She doesn't actually buy any of her accessories, but instead finds them all through store robberies or house break-ins. If she doesn't like something she picks up, Zenna'll either give it to some poor, hopeless soul, exchange it for something better, or sell it for money. The one thing she actually does look around for are clothes and sunglasses. She can't possibly find the right sizes by just randomly stealing stuff, so she goes shoplifting instead, making sure to try stuff on first. When on Ember or Crescent Island, the usual getup is a bikini, or a white mini-dress. But more than likely she's wearing a tank-top and some thin shorts. If Zenna's around any of the Air Temples, though, she would be found sporting a dark shirt with a windbreaker, and some blue jeans. Personality: Being an only child, Zenna had always been lonely. But that was a huge understatement, since she wasn't actually sure whether or not she had siblings. She may have had a brother or sister, possibly older than her. But there was no way to tell for sure. In her mind, she was an only child. Not being technical, Zenna never really had parents either, as she had never been introduced to them, not since she was born. So, by herself, she became isolated from the world. Most of the time, she was alone, always fending for herself. After spending her years hiding in the shadows, her heart slowly became steel, and Zenna began to think that people were stupid, and a waste of her time. If somebody gave her a friendly comment, more likely than not, she would twist the words and purposely take it the wrong way. People have called her several unmentionable names, that have made Zenna turn even farther from the world. It's hard to wrench a smile out of Zenna. If she ever finds that her lips are upturned, it's more than likely a wicked grin caused by a successful break-in or mugging. Those are her favorite hobbies, and she almost never gets caught. When she does happen to find herself in a sticky situation, it's a fast escape. Although she doesn't know many self-defense skills, a low kick between the legs can give a girl a great advantage. Unless, of course, her captor is female as well. At that point she calls in her best friend, Karu. The large, vicious beast can handle anything too tough for a human, and because of this, he is the only one who Zenna can trust. He is the only one Zenna has ever loved. It's pretty much impossible to make good conversation with this girl, let alone become friends with her. She hates people, and doesn't really associate much with them. But on occasion, her heart will soften if she's sick, worried, or just plain lonely. That's the only time when somebody can get some emotion out of Zenna. But don't test your luck, or it'll come back to bite you in the butt. And if you try to mess with Karu, consider yourself dead. Even though she's a badass, Z's never betrayed somebody she cares about. Which isn't that common, since her only friend is her trustworthy animal guide. But if she does happen to make a mild connection with another human, there's no doubt that she'd stick around with them, too. But she makes no promises to take a knife to the gut for a friend... Unless it's for Karu. But chances are, Karu would never let Zenna defend him from an attack, if it meant she would get hurt. But for even her own parents--her fake parents, that is--she would rather use them as a shield than to take a blow. So if anybody decided that she could be trusted, then they better know the conditions to what they're asking. Backstory: ~ BIRTH TO AGE 3 ~ When Zenna was born, she wasn't supposed to live. She wasn't breathing when she emerged from the womb, and the doctors had presumed her dead. Her parents were devastated, as they already loved their daughter so. The anxious mother, hopeful to finally fit into the crowd, to finally have a child like everybody else on the island. When she first heard word of the miscarriage, she couldn't believe it. She wouldn't believe it. She refused to talk to anybody, as she sorted through her feelings. When she finally mustered up the will to respond, it was in an angry manner. "You killed my daughter! You stole her! Where is she!?! Where are you hiding my baby!?! She's MINE!!!" Screaming and screaming she went, for an hour straight, until, to the relief of the healers, Zenna's mother finally lost her voice. When it was safe enough for somebody to grab her arm, she was torn from the Healing room and onto the volcanic black sand of the island. For Crescent Island was a dangerous place, the mother and her silent husband quietly made their way back to their house near the mouth of the semi-active volcano. There the man and woman mourned, until they fell asleep late that night. Their dreams were filled with silent tears, but also of unconscious smiles as they dreamt of having their daughter come home at last. When they woke in the morning, the woman was forced into tears once more by her dastardly memories of the previous day. Ignoring all of her husband's futile attempts at comforting her, the woman laid in bed for three more days. She cried, wailed, and prayed for her baby girl back. She felt so terrible, that eventually she starved herself to death, and was later found in the same fetal position as three days earlier. *** Meanwhile, as the mother had been screaming, the healers had discussed what to do with the child. Not once did they actually check the faint heartbeat of little Zenna, as an unbreathing baby is usually a dead baby. So the doctors of Crescent Island argued of how to dispose of the carcass. "But, Dr. Kaio, shouldn't we let it float away in the ocean? The Moon Spirit would take great care of the deceased child, and the water is said to create an open gateway to the Spirit World." "Nonsense, Arran. You and your superstitions. The body would only wash back ashore. Besides, this child is of High-Class Fire Nation blood. You know who it’s parents are, correct? Giving it to the water would be a disgrace. I would suggest the incinerator, but that's pure evil, using human flesh to create new products. Disgusting." Kaio had glared at the female Doctor beside him. The Moon Spirit, Yue, was just a myth in his eyes, a stupid tale to give people hope. He was getting tired of his co-worker always talking about the Spirits. Superstition was for children. Deep in his thoughts of resent towards Dr. Arran, the male doctor didn't even realize that baby Zenna had begun to breathe. One of the amateur nurses in the clinic had accidentally elbowed the table she was laying on, and the edge of it bumped roughly into the wall. In doing so, Zenna's head snapped back, and a thick bubble that was stuck in her throat simply disappeared. Her lungs abruptly begun to expand and contract in a breathing manner, and blood flowed through her body once again. Although the result of the nurse's clumsiness did not effect the state in which she was in. Still unconscious and silent, the only thing to set Zenna apart from the dead now was her strong heartbeat. "Then what should we do with her? We can't just keep a dead body laying around the clinic." Dr. Arran was extremely nervous. This was the first stillborn ever produced in the tiny island hospital, and it would make their business look bad if word got around. As if on cue, the building manager walked in, hearing part of the conversation. "Just toss it out back. Stray Pygmy Pumas tend to hang around here. I've even seen a wolf pack scavenging for food once. The animals will take care of the dirty work. There's nothing to worry about," he told them nonchalantly, with a side smile. "Oh, um... Yes, sir. We’ll be right on that." The manager always made Kaio uncomfortable, as it was embarassing for somebody to upstage him. The Doctor yearned to be higher than his boss. Then everybody would have to listen to him. All of the manager's ideas sounded bad to Kaio, but that part of the argument would've had to wait. If he wanted to keep his good paying job, he had to listen to his boss... For now. Kaio motioned for Dr. Arran to throw the child out on the back porch of the clinic. She did as she was told, and shortly after she closed the door on her way back inside, little Zenna finally opened her eyes. The first thing that she could comprehend were two large, curious, amber colored irises, staring straight into her face. Even though she was too young then to remember much of anything, that image has always been engraved into her brain. *** As the sleeping bundle was thrown onto the pavement, an Eagle Wolf pup had been scouring the streets, searching for his own parents. Karu was but a year old, and had yet to realize that his family was dead. They had been shot from the sky by a rare handgun, and fallen into the depths of the volcano, never to be found again. After a day alone, the youngster, still growing his wings, started to look around the island. Sure enough, while walking slowly behind a line of buildings, his eye caught movement twenty yards off. Something was thrown by a human from inside one of the strong-smelling buildings. Always one to love mysteries, Karu crept slowly forward, making sure not to disturb any of the two-leggers from inside their strange dens. Little did he know that this moment would decide his destiny. As he closed in on a hopeful meal, though, the canine felt a twinge of something inside. The tiny baby, so weak, so vulnerable, hit a nerve deep inside Karu. So open to the world, it almost felt just plain wrong for him to lay even a claw on little Zenna. So, creeping even closer, Karu kept wary of his surroundings. His hunger was suddenly gone, and the small newborn was very interesting, especially to an Eagle Wolf still new to the world himself. By the time his muzzle was almost touching Zenna's chin, and his gaze locked onto her, her eyes opened. There was a pause... ...Then Karu's tail started to wag. *** Zenna had never been sure how their friendship started, but she and Karu have been inseparable since the day she was born. Karu became her caregiver, already as large as a normal wolf, and only half-grown, so transportation was easy. During her first few years, Zenna learned to perform the simplest of tasks. At the age of two, she could imitate many of the growls, snarls and motions of the wolf. It made things a lot easier for basic communication between the two friends. Although she still had a lot to learn. By the time she was three years old, she became more advanced at taking and dishing out orders. Many of her orders were related to play, though, so not much rebellion there. Even though Zenna was becoming greater at the wolf language, it was becoming extremely more difficult to learn. The two downsides would make a huge difference, if the little girl kept life going like this. For one, she didn't naturally stand on four legs, and worse, she didn't have a tail to communicate with. Although she didn't realize this, Karu sure did. He grew distraught, after realizing that his friend wouldn't be like him. For days he worried in silence, often watching Zenna sleep, as his thoughts tried to sum up what to do. Finally, making a split decision, the Eagle Wolf one cold morning, nudged her awake. She was shivering, the Autumn air taking a big toll on her. Her month-old clothes were soaked, too, from the dew on the grass. For they had been sleeping in the meadow above the Western Air Temple, the wind made everything so much more chilly. Zenna was growing out of her clothing yet again, and they would have to steal another pair soon. But there wasn't much time to think about that, because the two were to make a large journey that day. Not just of travel, but by mind and spirit, too. Karu would have to leave her. The animal was smart enough to know that Zenna was human, and could never survive her whole life in the wild without knowing who she was. So that day, without saying a word to pouty little Z, he flew off towards the one place where she would surely learn how to be a normal human child. Republic City. ~AGE 8~ "Mom... ...Mom!" By this time, at age 8, Zenna was already taller than average, and had a rebellious attitude. She had learned proper English, and knew how to walk on two legs. Although she had yet to find knowledge of her Firebending ability. When she was but three and a half years of age, a young Earth Kingdom couple were graced to find a wailing toddler at their doorstep. Based on the child's growls and snarls, the man and woman, Han and Risti, decided that she must be at least 2 years old, and that the strange sounds were just baby language. Being kind and generous folks, the newlyweds took Zenna in, to be raised as their own. She didn't look that much different from them, actually, based on skin tone and hair color. The only difference were the eyes, a pale blue, in comparison to Han and Risti, whose irisis gleam a bright green. So easily Zenna's past had been forgotten, and her life of lies had begun. So soon had she been fooled of her origins... "MOM!!!" "What, honey, what do you want?" Despite the 'honey' inserted into her response, Risti's words were like ice. As her voice reached Zenna's ears, the eight-year old fell backward onto the couch in exasperation. Always the dramatic one, she groaned, "These exercises are KILLING me, mom. I haven't been able to do ANYTHING." As per usual, she had been forced to practice Earthbending styles, just like every day before. The deep-rooted stances and strong gestures were already perfected, after two years of training. It was expected of Zenna to at least move a rock, but to no avail. No matter how hard she tried, she just wasn't an Earthbender. Surely her parents would figure that out by now. "Just keep practicing your movements. It'll come to you someday. You're just not giving it your all!" Risti's voice raised in pitch slightly with each sentence. She was sure that her adopted daughter was an Earthbender. She could feel it in her veins. "But, mom-" "No buts, young lady! Your father has already told you! If you're not doing the movements correctly, then you're not going to lift any rock!" Zenna's mother walked into the room then, to chastise her with her eyes. "That's the thing, though. I AM doing it right, Mom. I am! But nothing is happening!" Risti sighed. She was afraid of this. What if Zenna really IS a nonbender? It couldn't be true. I spent too long training her. It has to work sometime... She kept telling herself that, motivating both her daughter and herself onward. Yet Zenna just wasn't able to accomplish her adopted parents' dreams. "Just wait until your father-" "No, Mom! Dad's not gonna help me, either. All he'll do is yell at me, like you're doing now! Don't you see, Mom? I'm not a bender!" Although it killed her to admit it to herself, she had to say it out loud. Oh how she wished she could lift even the tiniest pebble. It would lift her spirits with it. Being a nonbender made her weak. Apparently Han and Risti felt that way, too, hence the intensive training. Risti rubbed her temples, trying to decide what to say. So what if Zenna isn't an Earthbender? It makes sense if she's not. Han and I are both Earthbenders, but... Ugh. She can never know that we're not her parents. If she found out, how would we be able to find her real ones? I don't want to lose my daughter... Based off of her appearance, Zenna's mother couldn't think of any other element that she may be able to bend. Waterbenders usually had darker skin, except in very few cases. But still that was ruled out, since their hair is always an almost black color, year-round. Zenna couldn't be an Airbender, as her skin burns too easily, and her eyes have too much blue in them, instead of the regular Air Nomad gray. For a moment, Risti considered the fact that Z could be from the Fire Nation, if her wild attitude could be taken into account. But that was quickly ruled out, as she's seen several rebellious Earth Kingdom folks in her lifetime. The only time Zenna could be mistaken as a Firebender might be during the time of snow. Her hair turns a very dark brown in the Wintertime, to the exact color a Fire Nation girl may have. But that was also ruled out, mostly because during the rest of the year, her hair becomes a softer shade, more suitable to the Earth Kingdom. The longer that her mother contemplated her thoughts in silence, the more Zenna's annoyance and rage grew. Why can't Mom and Dad ever say something supportive? Why always think that although I'm not bending the Earth now, that I'm going to any time soon? Can't they just say "Hey, honey, it's okay. There's lots of Nonbenders out there, just like you." Or even just a simple "You'll be okay"? I HATE them! She tossed an evil glare at her mother, who looked like she had a headache. Like she was the one who was in pain. It was too much to handle, this lifestyle. Right then, even though her parents say that she's seven years old, Zenna felt much older. Little did she know that she actually was older. By a whole year and a half. *** For the next ten minutes Risti and Zenna argued, until, sadly, Z lost. For the hour after that she was forced to study Earthbending, until Han arrived home. When her father finally did waltz through the front door, she shrunk into herself as far as she could go, afraid of the punishment for competing with her mother. For Han was a terrifying man, you should always expect the worst when you get on his bad side. There was a long, silent pause that seemed to last forever. And then... "WHAT did she do!?!?!" Uh-oh... Clearly Zenna was going to get a beating--a hard one. How could she be so oblivious to the future, earlier? She may as well have put a sword to her own neck. She was in a load of Hogmonkey dung right then. Yet within her fear, her anger still brewed fresh in her veins. As Han stomped quickly into the living--and training--room, she hid slightly behind the arm of the couch. She was visible, everything above her chin exposed to the deadly gaze of the large man. In a soft, quiet voice, which is all the more scarier than his screaming, Zenna's father whispered, "Why. Do you. Refuse. To practice. Your Bending." His sinister voice was made even more nefarious by the hard expression on his face. "TELL ME!!!" he burst suddenly, inches from the 8-year old's face. The power of his shout made even Risti, who happened to materialize in the room, wince. "I... I-I-" "Don't give me that, young lady!" As he said it, Han grasped the back of her long hair and pulled her out from behind the sofa completely. Then, without warning, smacked his huge hand across Zenna's cheek. Within seconds the whole left side of her face had turned red from broken capillaries. "Speak a proper answer!" At the slap, she didn't scream. Yes, it hurt like Hell, but Zenna didn't let out a sound. Instead, what she did, was narrow her eyes. Everybody knows the saying, 'I'm going to slap some sense into you.' Well, the phrase is really true. She learned a little something that day. She learned that her father is a total jerk face. "You think I'm the one being disrespectful," she mumbled. With that statement, Han's eyes looked like they may just pop out of his head. Unfortunately, they did not. What did happen, though, was another round of 'Beat Up Z's Face.' This time, Zenna did scream, holding her now beet-red cheek. The pain unlocked a new sense of rage inside of her, that seemed to carry a backbone of power. She welcomed it freely, absolutely despising everything about her adopted father. Embracing her fury, she literally spit in Han's face. The action sent him over the edge, and he rushed to go smack his palm into her face once again. Although before that happened, time seemed to slow down. Zenna's even expression wavered, but as a slight tingling feeling emanated from her core, she suddenly felt more rooted. More confident. More powerful. Not in the way that Earthbenders are, but... different. More free-spirited. And all of this seemed to be powered by her anger at her father. While Han's hand crept closer and closer to becoming another blow, the tingling spread out to Zenna's limbs, hands, and eventually up to her head. When it seemed that the man would achieve a hit at her face a third time, it happened. The tingle quickly intensified, to the point where her body almost went numb, and then... Time sped up again, fast enough to make it hard to adhere to what happened. At first, Han's face was hard-set on how painful he should make the hit to his daughter's cheek. But in the next moment, he became abruptly horror-stricken, his arms retracting to cover his head. The entire room became alight with red, and Zenna struggled to make out a choked yell. Everything was a blur, and the last thing she remembered before she fell unconscious, were moving her outstretched fists back to her side. The fists that she never knew she moved in the first place. ~AGES 8 TO 10~ Within two weeks of her whole puzzling episode with Han and Risti, Zenna has learned two things; The Earth Kingdom couple clearly weren't her true parents, and not to mention, she was freakin' starved. She had been abandoned, to forever wander the streets of Republic City. It could've been quite easy for her to tie the irony of this scene to the day she was born, when her old friend Karu was still small, and wandering the same alleyways for the same purpose--to find closure in heartbreaking times. For a year the child found her way around like this, using her young age to be granted food, and occasionally shelter on colder days. Most of the time she slept under bridges, in bushes, and one time in a tree. Bad idea. Zenna had accidentally turned in her slumber, causing herself to plummet from the branches. The mistake cost her only a sprained ankle, thankfully. But she decided that trees were overrated, after that. The reason she was saved any more trouble, though, was because she happened to land in a large shrub in the park, accompanied by a kind homeless man. He showed his guest a secret underground society, hidden from the world, where all of the runaways and bankrupt folks seemed to reside. That became her home, for a time. It was safe, and she had met many people just like her. One girl, a year younger than her, Zenna especially bonded with. Like herself, the girl--Akiza was her name--was thrown from her house. But her reason was completely different. Akiza wasn't watching her baby brother, who was stolen by bandits while her parents weren't home. Zenna's case... Well, everybody found out that she was a Firebender. Zenna didn't even know herself, but that overwhelming moment of power forced her body to shut down for a short time, causing her to fall from consciousness. Apparently, her anger at her adopted father allowed the unskilled bender a strong enough blast of flames to engulf the harsh man's body. He suffered severe burns, some of his skin having to be replaced, and was placed in the hospital. Unfortunately, he lived through the surgery. But before she was able to see him again, Zenna was exiled from, not just the house, but from the family. As if it ever were a family... But, as time went by, things started to turn for the better. Z's new friend, Akiza, was also a Firebender, and a skilled one at that, despite her young age. She taught Zenna everything she knew, from basic Fireblasts, to evasive makeshift rockets, to even breathing fire. They trained together everyday, both of them learning from eachother. Akiza's fire was blunt, aggressive, and a deep orange-red. Zenna's fire, on the other hand, was stealthy, sharp, and a cold, icy blue. "Gosh, Zen, you're, like, the reincarnation of Azula! You have blue flames, and you strike like a snake. Except, you're a lot friendlier than she was, from what I hear..." Z smiled at her friend, clearly enjoying the idea of Azula being her past life. It thrilled her to think that, aside from Ozai's daughter's psychopath personality, she could be as strong and great as the exiled princess. Personally, Azula was an idol to Zenna, ever since she learned of her Firebending ability. Akiza's statement was even further ensued when the two learned of Zenna's Lightningbending. Sure, there were tons of Firebenders who could bend lightning, but even so, not every Firebender was able to do it. It was a miracle to the two girls, and Akiza immediately told her friend how jealous she was, before laughing it off. And what was even better, was whenever Zenna thought of Azula, she thought of the retired Firelord Zuko, which in turn reminded her of Zuko's grandson, Iroh. Even with the almost 5 year age difference, she had a total crush on him, so hard. She dreamed of meeting him someday. But that would probably never happen. Yet although she learned all of these bending tricks within a year, Zenna didn't necessarily know how to use her newfound talent. She supposed she would figure it out soon. In the meanwhile, the two girls were learning the best ways to pickpocket upper-class adults. Already they managed to snag a few wallets, earning themselves a bunch of silver and copper pieces, along with some Yuans here and there. All of their earnings were passed around the underground camp, so everybody could buy some food for dinner. It was a life of luxury--or at least as luxurious being a hobo could become. But one day--on one of their morning robbery missions--when Zenna was but 10 years old, something terrible happened, something that she could never forget. *** It started off like every average morning. Snatching a few copper pieces from kind city folk, finding the occasional piece of jewelry on the ground, staring longingly at the fine handiwork in the blacksmith's shop... Practically harmless. In fact, the two children devised a plan to rob the Bread Baker of a few cakes that day. "Ah, he won't miss 'em. Besides, it's Miffy's birthday today. The least we could do is steal a Lychee Nut muffin for him." Akiza was always good at making things seem better than they really are. Especially to Zenna. "I don't know. I mean, everybody loves Miffy, but this is a mission we haven't tried yet. What if we get caught?" she reasoned. At that time, Zenna wasn't the stone-hearted criminal that she was meant to be. She was just a normal, slightly bitter criminal. This was before she stopped caring. Akiza was slightly less acquainted with the idea of failure. So she seemed to brush off anything that had to do with her plans not turning out okay. "Ah, you scaredy-cat! Nothing's gonna happen. I promise," she said with a soft smile at her friend. Zenna wasn't about to give up. "But, what about the Baker-" "Trust me, Zen," she stated as she stared into her eyes. "Everything's gonna be okay." Of course, she trusted her then. How could she not? Akiza hardly ever used her soft, serious voice, unless she needed to. And she was the only person to ever call her Zen. That nickname got her every time. It reminded Zenna of why they became criminals in the first place--to help those depending on them. Their new family. And that's the reason she will never allow another being to use that name on her. If you even muttered the syllable to yourself, she would hunt you down and send you to the Spirit world. It's too sacred of a name to her, that brings back several memories. And memories make one weak. "I... ...okay..." Z nodded and glanced at the ground. She was still unsure of their mission, of how it would turn out. She had a pit in her stomach, and a tiny inkling of fear. She should've listened to her instinct before it was too late. *** The next think she knew, Zenna was staring at the remains of the Crumble Corner, the building which used to be the Baker's shop. Well, it really lived up to its' name. Chunks of brick wall were splayed around the street. Traffic was backed up, and cops were everywhere. It was pure chaos, and it was all her fault. She would never forgive herself. That was the first time she realized that she should never become attached to another human. It's too dangerous, and would it would tear her to shreds if she lost somebody else that she cared about. Under the rubble somewhere, were the Baker's family, and Akiza. The fire was just recently extinguished by all the benders in the vicinity, and smoke shrouded the air. To Zenna, the sequence went by so very quickly. The shouts and screams were muffled to her, replaced by an eerie ringing in her ears. For hours that felt like minutes, the 10-year old stood there, motionless, her eyes unfocused. Morning turned into Noon, which in turn became Evening, and yet the little girl was just standing there, where she last saw her best friend before the explosion went off. She never thought about food, or water, rest, or even the futile attempts the Police were making to lure her away from the scene. She didn't care about all of that. She couldn't mull over the fact that her partner in crime, her best friend in the world, was dead. It took her uncountable hours just to accept that Akiza wasn't coming back. Eventually she was alone in the darkness of night, everybody having given up on getting the young Firebender to budge from her spot. When things finally did come back into focus, when Zenna's eyes weren't glazed over any longer, she snapped. Falling hard onto her knees, she laid on the ground screaming into her arms, tears soaking her sweatshirt. It was the worst feeling, made even more terrible by not knowing where the fateful explosion originated. Little did she know, that a pair of amber eyes were watching her from above. Eyes that were damp in her mourning and sorrow. *** ~AGES 11-18~ Exactly one year after the death of Akiza, Zenna felt everything but joy. She knew what day it was, and she knew that from the building she was sitting atop of, she would be able to see the empty space where the Baker's shop used to be. Not wanting to stoop low enough to glance at its' direction, she spent her attention on the small sack of coins that was almost empty. Ugh, I have to find more money, soon. The month is almost over, and so are my savings... She juggled the bag between her two Hookswords, doing everything she could to keep her mind off of Akiza. A few months after the incident, she stole the weapons from the blacksmith. Hookswords had been a favorite of Zenna's friend, and she got them in her honor. They've been handy in quick getaways, and are very effective in deflecting Metalbender police attacks. Akiza never got to know that... Nobody ever figured out where the explosion came from. Maybe some other criminal planted a bomb. Maybe there was a gas leak, and Akiza used her Firebending. Z had no way of knowing, since she chickened out at the last minute. The dark feeling she had that morning got to her, and she had pleaded her friend not to go inside the Bakery. Of course, stubborn as she is, the 9-year old waltzed right through the front doors, slightly irritated by Zenna's attitude. And then... When she finally realized what she was doing, Zenna shut down the terrible memory, shaking her head in disgust at herself. She needed to stop the nonsense, and forget about the past. So she locked away everything that made her fade from reality into the recesses of her mind. Well, there's no need for that crap anymore. Making another one of her infamous split decisions, she resolved to travel out of Republic City. Somewhere where nobody could find her, and where she would be able to gather herself. She didn't know where this remote place would be, or how she would get there, but she would eventually figure it out. She always did... Somehow, some way, she would take back her happy life, that was lost long ago. The one thing she couldn't erase from her mind, though, was that it was Miffy's birthday again... and he never got his Lychee Nut Muffin... *** Silently he prowled, watching the girl harden before his very eyes, into a monster of revenge. His look became fraught with hesitation, his mind and instinct at complete war with eachother, as he struggled to come to a decision. As the decision may change his fate, and the fate of countless people. *** It's been two months after the doomful anniversary, and Zenna still sat in Republic City. She made her choice, that she wanted to go to one of the Air Temples. Surely three out of four of them were abandoned. There were only two recorded Airbenders left in the world; Aang's son, Tenzin, and Tenzin's 3-year old daughter, Jinora. It's not possible for there to be a sudden outburst of Airbenders... or is it? All facts aside, she still didn't find a solution to the big problem: Transportation. She could get someone from the City to take her, but the only people who respected her etiquette were hobos. And she was pretty sure none of them had a balloon to carry her across the world. Ships cant reach the Air Temples, and Zenna didn't have a companion to help. As far as she knew. She probably will never find out, that ever since she was a toddler, a silent predator hid in the shadows, waiting. A giant beast, tracking her every movement with stealth... *** It was late at night, in early Winter. The air was starting to become dry and sharp, and everybody had started to dig out their parkas. The city was unusually quiet, most of the Holidays passed, and none to come in the near future. Snow was threatening to fall, and the only thing to obscure the blackness of the new moon were the dim street lamps that hardly illuminated the concrete. The nocturnal animals, such as the Cat-Owl and Spider Rat, reveled in the blanket of darkness. With the humans at still the sounds of the night creatures spoke loud and true. Zenna didn't much mind the creepiness of the dark. Actually, it relaxed her quite a lot. That was especially strange, with her short age of only 11 years. Usually, girls her age fear the nighttime. Clearly that wasn't the case here. Fear is weakness, and weakness doesn't do any good for a person. That's her motto... sort of. Actually, there aren't that many things that Zenna's afraid of. If she was afraid of anything, though, she hadn't figured out what it is yet. Little did she know, she was about to realize the meaning of fear, very, very soon. *** He stalked across the top bars of the bridge, his lanky movements unusual for his size, let alone species. But he's had practice. There have been much more dangerous situations he's encountered, just to keep an eye on her. He watched quietly now, gazing curiously as she slept. She looked almost relaxed, much more peaceful than when she was awake. At least she's smart enough to slumber under the bridge, instead of in plain sight, he thought. He hated when she did that. Many times she tends to find a strange tunnel thing that smells like many humans, where she stays for the night. He was simply too heavily built to follow her, and he would be spotted if he could, anyway. So tonight he was content. A single car passed onto the bridge below him. Not wanting to be seen, he took to the skies, out of line of the Satomobile's lights. He gazed cautiously until the vehicle had crossed underneath where he had been standing seconds ago. As it did, his eyes glistened a bright golden yellow in the scattering light, before the world became engulfed once again in darkness. It was then that he made his decision at last... He's waited too long to act already. *** Zenna was woken suddenly. It took her a second to adjust to reality, but when she did, she became puzzled. It was still dark out, when she was usually pulled from sleep by the daylight. She couldn't fathom what had disturbed her--until she heard it. A little to her left, she could barely make out the sound. It was a soft rumbling noise, that oddly felt familiar in her ears. It played in the silent atmosphere for a few seconds, before disappearing again. A minute or so passed, and it started up again, except this time louder, more persistent. Instinct kicking in, Z jumped up onto her feet, drawing her hookswords. Looking wary, she boldly called, "Who's there? I have a weapon!" When there was no response, her heart started to pound. The overwhelming feeling of just not wanting to be there hit her with full force. Zenna was unfamiliar with this feeling, and she was anything but curious about it. Then abruptly, out of the shadows, her eye caught movement. Whatever it was, it moved fast. From what she saw, it looked like it had feathers, but nobody could be too sure in this visibility. "Stay back! I'm a Firebender, and you don't want to mess with me!" For an 11-year old, she sounded pretty intimidating. But the fight left her pretty quickly as the intruder pounced into the light of the fire in her hand. The massiveness of the beast startled her, and she gasped as she fell backwards, bruising her tailbone on the ground. The flame in her palm flickered out, and Zenna watched in horror as the black silhouette inched closer. But, as if realizing her fear, the monstrous thing paused, shrinking back. This led to confusion, because the last thing Z expected was for the strange animal to hesitate. And even stranger, when she started to back farther underneath the bridge, a whisper of a whimper emanated from the beast. It sounded lachrymose, almost like an apology. The unlikeliness of the situation made Zenna's breathing a bit more steady. And when she felt that the invader wasn't going to strike, she created a new fire in her hand, a soft orange instead of her usual blue. It provided a less threatening light source. So when she lit the area around her, the full view of the beast was unleashed. About the size of a Shirshu, maybe a little smaller, the animal before her was magnificent either way. The brilliant white fur was marred by onyx stripes scaling its' spine and tail, along with the black patches lining the dimensions of its' face and muzzle. Elsewhere, its' paws and ears were colored a bright orangeish-red, kind of like fire itself, but... different. And then... gazing closely, Zenna noticed something off about the canine creature's flanks. They looked... misshapen, somehow. The beast must've been pretty intelligent, because it noticed the girl staring at his sides, and knew exactly what she was wondering. She watched with great curiosity as its' sides began to move, like they were expanding. They got larger and larger, too large, until Zenna was internally face-palming herself. Duh, they're wings. I'm so stupid... Now that she noticed, the wolf's wings looked even more epic than imagined. She's never seen feathers that enormous before, not even on a Vulture Lion. While the majority of the feathers were a glistening white, the tips of the primary feathers were a bottomless onyx, followed by the fiery orange-red. They were breathtaking in reality, and again, she sensed something familiar about it... All fear vanished, and Z stood with confidence in front of the Eagle Wolf. She identified the species from a book she once partially read in her spare time. But she couldn't get out of her mind the feeling that she's met this creature before. She didn't know when, or how, but it must've recognized her, too, because this wasn't how wild animals normally reacted. Cautiously the winged beast advanced forward, slowly as to not startle Zenna again. She waited, tensing, but not afraid. Her hookswords were useless, on the ground anyway. She may as well face the giant wolf. As she waited, she stared into it's eyes. The golden amber color entranced her, and she turned her head in confusion. Looking harder into its pupils, she concentrated. Something inside was speaking to her, but it was hard to grasp. Unidentifiable images raced through her brain all at once, moving too fast to actually comprehend. When the animal was an arm's length from her, it bowed its' muzzle. Without thinking, Zenna reached up and slowly placed her palm--the one without the fire in it--atop the Eagle Wolf's head, her face a blank expression. Suddenly, the images paused in her brain, landing on one specific, detailed memory. It was a memory she had locked away for a long time, but had never forgotten. So, so long ago, she had been in this same position, gazing into two innocent, amber colored irises, identical to the ones she was gazing into at that very moment. The rush of pictures went off inside her mind again, but this time Zenna made sense of them. Everything from her early childhood, before Han and Risti, came back to her, encasing her in the depths of what used to be. She had found Karu again. Tears begun to well in her eyes. Image: See top of page ;P Normal "Speech" Exaggerated Thoughts Words: About 7,800 Tags: Zenna | Karu | Han | Risti | Akiza | Miffy Setting: Too many to write down Ooc: This took me too long -_- I didn't really pay much attention to what I was writing in the end [/scrolly]

[Zenna]

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