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Fear. It coated her tongue with a bitter taste and tried to climb up her throat. Fear. She hadn't thought she would be afraid, getting a new family, but she had dreamed of it for so long, and now that it was happening she was scared that it might fall apart in front of her eyes.

Her hands tightened on the pure white hand that clasped hers, and she looked up at the strange woman she was supposed to call mother. Well, not call. She couldn't speak, she had tried, but it had never worked. And this woman, this Ice, what would she say when she realized that her newest daughter didn't talk? Couldn't talk?

Would she get sent back to the orphanage? She hated the thought, even though she knew she would miss the friends she had made there. She just--

"Are you ready?" Ice asked, looking down at the little girl with a grin. "I should warn you, it's going to be a bit hectic in there. Once your new sisters found out you were coming they started moving to the basement so you could have their room. Oh, don't worry, we made Josiah renovate it, so they'll be nice and comfortable down there." She reached out, brushing the hair from Kitsu's cheek. "Smile, baby, I promise everything's going to be just fine."

"Mamaa!!" A young boy's voice called as the front door opened. A young blonde boy came tumbling out the door, his metal daemon following behind him with a slight squeak. "Mama, is she here yet?" He demanded as he walked to them, stopping in front of Kitsu and looking up at her for a long moment before grinning. "Hi!"

"Walter, this is your newest sister, Kitsumai." Ice told the boy. "Kitsumai, this is Walter and Oblivion. They'll be in the room across from yours."

"She eats metal." Walter said, jabbing a thumb at Oblivion. "Want a cookie?" He asked, pulling one out of his white shirt and offering it to Kitsu. Kitsu smiled, still hesitating slightly as she took the cookie and nibbled at it.

"Oblivion?" Ice asked the metal dragon rather than Walter, "Sugar, do you think you could... help Walter show Kitsu to her room?" She asked, obviously putting more trust in the daemon than in the boy.

Oblivion's tail flicked and she turned, heading for the door with laborous steps, her bicycle wheel squeaking slightly behind her as she took the front porch steps. Walter had to hurry to get the door for both daemon and taur.

Ice headed for the car then, grabbing the almost empty box of things that Kitsu had brought with her. She made a mental list of all the things the little girl would need, not bothered one bit by what the people at the orphanage had told her. Kitsumai was a mute. But then again, so was Kisa, one of her adult daughters. She wondered how Kitsumai would take to that.

Kitsumai looked around the slightly small house, wondering how so many people seemed to live comfortably there. She could hear them, all talking and moving, bustling around as if it were a war. Music blared through the air, something fast and wild, almost making the poor taur cover her ears with her hands. This was NOT what she was used to!

"Kisa!! Did you get--," A green haired female in white sweat pants and a green t-shirt asked as she came down the hall from the bedroom, a large box in her arms. She almost ran poor Kitsumai over before she jerked to a halt, almost dropping the box in her excitement. "You're here!!" She said, putting the box on the ground beside her and hauling her into a hug. "You're so CUTE! Kisa!! Kisa come see our little sister!!"

Walter grinned, munching on yet another cookie as he watched Kitsu's reaction. For a second the little taur looked stunned, then she very gamely hugged the taller female back, having missed this sort of reaction more keenly than she liked to admit.

She didn't even notice the second female until a gentle hand dropped on her horse half, stroking the muscular shoulder. Kitsu jerked, turning to look at the tiger woman with a slightly surprised look. A grin lit Kisa's face as Jade let go, and she reached forward, hugging Kitsumai as well.

Kitsu looked up at her, taking in the sharp, exotic face of the white and black striped female, slowly hugging her back. These were her sisters?

"Kisa doesn't speak." Jade said, peeking around her sister at Kitsu. "But she's very good at making her point understood. Now! Let's show you your room!"

It was as if her heart stopped for a moment. Kitsumai looked up at the strong, confident looking female dressed in a black t-shirt and baggy jeans, noting the slight smile on her face, and the smooth, easy movements she made. This was another mute? It was... it was--

Her hand was tugged and she looked down at Walter, shocked out of her moment of hero worship and into a smile as she noticed crumbs on his face. "C'mon, your room's this way." He told her, tugging her towards the hall. "Jade already headed that way."

Kitsu nodded, smiling finally as she was pulled to the room. It looked as if it had been gutted recently, things lying around the floor, clothes of all colors and types. Jade stood in the middle of the room, looking sheepish. "We weren't sure when you would get here." She admitted, smiling at Kitsu. "So we moved a little slow I'm afraid."

Kitsu shook her head, waving her hand to say it was alright. She didn't mind them not being completely ready. In fact she felt a little guilty at taking their room in the first place. But by the way the two had greeted her, she didn't think they minded very much.

"Hey..." Walter said, tugging her hand again. "You got the cool room. See, you can see the front yard out this window, and all the cars coming by. They still haven't fixed the stop sign 'Blivion ate." He added cheerfully as tires squealed in the distance.

Kitsu winced at the sound, worried about whoever was in the car before she turned back to her room. It was warmer than her old room had been, a soft green color with purple accents. She preferred white with her purples, but considering who had lived there before, she guessed she couldn't complain.

This was her home, she thought, feeling a little thrown. And if they accepted one mute, surely, surely they wouldn't turn her away, right?

"So... you like it?" Walter asked, looking up at her with an angelic grin.

Kitsu hesitated, then reached out, brushing the crumbs off of his face as she nodded.

"Gonna say something?" He asked, cocking his head.

"Kitsumai doesn't speak." Ice said from the doorway, the almost empty box in her hands. It startled Kitsumai, who looked at her questioningly. "Relax, baby, they told me that before I ever met you. Which is why I got a gift for you and Kisa." She added as she put the box down in the corner. She dug a small book out of her back pocket, handing it to the girl. "American Sign Language." She said, just in case the little one couldn't read as well as she should have been able to.

Kitsu nodded, smiling slowly before she clasped the book to her chest. It was a way to communicate quickly, she thought, and it was hers! This, she thought as she looked around the wild, unruly household that she found herself in, was going to be her home.

"We'll all have to learn it." Ice said. "But I think we'll manage, don't you, Kitsu baby?"

Kitsumai nodded, sure that her new guardian was right.

- Christmas Shopping -

"It might be the day after Christmas..." Ice said as she and Kitsu made their way through a very crowded store. "But this is the time you get the best sales. Now until New Years everyone's going to want to get rid of their inventory so they don't have to pay taxes on--," She stopped, turning at some of the gawkers that had stopped at the sight of Kitsu. "Is there a problem? My daughter and I are going shopping!"

The gawkers shook their heads, heading away quickly enough. This was yet another aspect of life that Kitsu had never really had to deal with, the taur thought. At least, not that she could remember. Being stared at made her feel a little uncomfortable, so she tightened her grip on Ice's hand, moving a little closer. It was hard dealing with a crowd when one's body was so long, she admitted silently, her eyes widening as someone bumped into her hindquarters. And she was worried that they would step on her dragon tail, so she brought it around her, wrapping it loosely around her leg.

Ice had a tail somewhat like that, though, and it made her feel better as she glanced behind them, watching the white tail swish happily. Ice seemed okay with the crowd. Maybe she was used to it, or maybe she didn't think this place was as crowded as it could have been. Kitsu looked up at her, a question on her face.

"This is nothing compared to the day after Thanksgiving." Ice admitted. "I never leave the house on that day, it's far too crowded. But today is important. We have to get your new stuff, after all. And a coat."

Kitsu's eyes widened and she shook her head, hating the very idea of wearing something so confining. She moved a little away, as well, not quite so happy with her new guardian as she had been before.

"I know, I know, but even though it's not so cold as it could be now, it will be later." Ice said. "That sentence was confusing to me, even... okay, how about this. Where we live it gets cold. And none of my babies will be running around in only a scarf when there's an ice storm going on. Not even Kisa, and she's got ice powers. Understand?"

Kitsu pouted, her bottom lip trembling in an attempt to make Ice change her mind, but it wasn't going to work. "You'll only have to wear it when we go outside." Ice told her as they headed for the long row of jackets. "Now pick one that you like, but it must cover all of your top half." Ice told her, motioning to the rack of pastel colored coats to the right. "We'll ignore the gloves, since you're wearing some, but the coat is a must."

Tears filled poor Kitsu's eyes, and she looked up at Ice pleadingly, tugging on her sleeve. She didn't want a coat! She would feel so confined! And what would she make her wear next? Silly dresses? Blankets? No--

"I'm not giving in." Ice said as she headed for the coats herself. "We've had ice storms every other year for the past five. The power goes out, tree limbs get frozen over, it's not a pretty sight." She pulled out a floofy looking light purple coat, holding it out for Kitsu to inspect. "This is light, and warm, and would look very pretty on you!" She said, gently making the little girl try it on. "And it covers all of your furless parts." She added, sounding satisfied. "Go look."

Kitsu nodded, her shoulders slumping as she fought the urge to strip off the offending piece of clothing. She wasn't a dress up doll! When would people realize that? She looked into the mirror, not really happy to be doing so, but naturally inclined to obey guardian orders. And she cocked her head.

The coat was dawn filled, and made her look a little like a purple snowball from the waist up, but it wasn't frilly. There was no lace, or beads, or anything too distracting. It was just a coat. This wasn't meant to make her look like a toy, she thought, it was meant to do just what it was supposed to do. It was meant to keep her warm in the winter. For a second she had to accept that it made her look like a normal little girl.

"How about a darker purple scarf to go with it?" Ice asked. "A knit one to wrap around your neck, not to wear as a top? Or we could get two, one for your shirt and one for your neck."

Kitsu nodded, wiping at the tears that had been threatening earlier, nodding in agreement. "And baby..." Ice said, sounding firm, "crying isn't going to get you everything you want from now on. Understand? Just because you can't speak doesn't mean I don't expect a rational argument from you. Even if you have to write it out."

Kitsu hesitated, looking up at her guardian seriously for a long moment before nodding again. "Good girl. Now let's go get those scarfs and head for the fun part of the store! The art supplies!" She said as she unzipped the coat and pulled it off of her, putting it into the basket she was carrying.

WARNING : VIOLENCE AND ABUSE IN THIS POST

It was hard to sleep as the water poured over Ice's little house, so heavy that when Kitsu got up to look out the window she couldn't see anything, save for the water streaking over the glass. Even the street light was hard to see, and for a moment she felt positive that it had gone out. She stared at the water for a long moment before turning and heading back to her bed.

Lightening crashed over the house as she climbed behind the sheets, pulling the blankets over her head in an attempt to drown out the noise. She wasn't scared, she told herself, she was just a little nervous. She reached out, tugging the stuffed bunny Ice had bought her close to her chest and curling her legs under her body as she leaned on the tower of pillows.

She had to get some sleep, she told herself. In the morning Ice had promised they would go to another art shop, and she wanted to be awake to see all of the things in there. With that thought she closed her eyes tightly, only cringing as thunder rumbled angrily in the distance.
**************************

The thunder was louder, she thought as her eyes opened. Her bed was thinner as well. She sat up, looking around blankly and wondering why a trickle of dread ran down her spine as she heard something moving in the distance. An evil smell lingered in the air, catching her nose and torturing her senses as her mind tried to place it.

"But my lord--," A woman's voice said in the distance. "The princess is unwell. She needs her sleep!"

"It's my daughter you're talking about, b***h. I know what she needs." A deep, cold voice replied, and the sound of his footsteps heading towards the screen that blocked her from the rest of the house seemed to echo in her mind. She had to get out... she had to get away from the man she knew would be coming.

She scrambled to her hooves, looking around wildly for a way of escape. There was none. It was as if she were in a box, locked there to wait until the cruel man got to her. Not even a window, she thought as tears started to fall. The steps slowed, or her heart sped, she couldn't tell which it was as a large, thick shadow appeared behind the thin painted screen. She could see his hand outlined by the light from the other side, and a tremble of fear so strong wracked her body that she almost fell over.

"My lord, please--," The woman's shadow came then, tugging at the man's shadow, trying to get him away from the screen. She was tossed aside, followed by a loud, sickening thump that had Kitsumai's heart climbing into her throat.

She was going to die, she thought as silent tears fell down her cheeks. And she didn't even have the ability to cry out for help.

The hand reached up, wrapping around the edge of the screen and moving it aside. The man standing there seemed to be too large to look up at, she thought, staring blindly at his wide, hateful looking hands as they reached out to her. "Hello, sweetie." The rough, cold voice said as he touched her cheek. "Daddy's home. Did you miss me?"

She took one stumbling step backwards, her heart threatening to rip from her chest, beating like a bird's. She couldn't come to shake her head, nor could she force herself to nod as he was wanting. She hadn't missed him, she had prayed he would be killed as he went out for his stupid wars.

"You little b***h." He snarled, his large hand coming up in a threatening manner. "I go to war on your behalf and you don't even miss me?"

She reached up, covering her head with her arms in a futile attempt to protect herself. He was going to beat her, she thought as the hand came down. He was going to kill her, or worse, beat her until she wished she was dead.

"Tell me you love me." He said, his hand still looming over her. "Tell me 'thank you, daddy, I don't know what I would do without you.'"

She shook her head, trying to stop the tears that were pouring down her cheeks.

"SPEAK YOU LITTLE b***h!" He bellowed as he let the hand fly. It slammed into the arm protecting her head, hitting it so hard that a sharp pain ran through her. Had he broken it? She didn't look, she just clenched her teeth, keeping it there even though it felt as if it she was going to faint from the pain.

"My lord! Please! Stop!!" The bellow was from the woman he had shoved aside, but she wasn't alone this time. More and more females came in, tacking the large man just long enough for Kitsumai to faint from the pain.

"If the little b***h would speak I wouldn't have to discipline her like this!" She heard him bellow as the darkness overwhelmed her and her body crumpled to the ground, bruised and beaten.
*****************************

The water was freezing, stripping heat from her body quickly. Soon she had forgotten what warmth felt like. Her jaw hurt, as did her arm, and she felt like falling to her knees then and there. Death would be preferable.

She stumbled, falling just as she had thought about, landing face first in a gigantic puddle of mud. She stayed there for a second, having had the wind knocked out of her, then pushed herself to her knees, shoving at the mud that coated her face as the rain kept pouring over her. She felt her knees sinking deeper and deeper into the muddy ground, pulling at her long, equine body.

This was what she had wanted, wasn't it? But even as she thought that she struggled, trying to free herself from the mud that pulled at her, knowing that if she let the mud pull her under, she would be gone. sucked under the earth and buried deep in the cold, damp darkness that clung to her legs so tightly.

She didn't want to be pulled under. She didn't want to be HERE! She wanted to be with Ice and the others! Warm and safe and--

"Kitsu!" The voice came from a distance, and she turned to it, her tears falling down her cheeks as all she could see was darkness and rain. "Wake up, Kitsu! Wake up!" The childish voice seemed to register somewhere in her mind and she looked up, feeling the rain hit her face.

"KITSU!"

The bellow jerked the little taur awake, and she looked up at her new little brother blankly for a long moment as her mind registered that she was in her warm little bed once again. Tears were falling down Walter's cheeks. They had been the rain she had felt on her face. "Kitsu I'm sorry--Kitsu--I swear I didn't--," He gulped a little raggedly as he wrapped his little arms around her waist, burying his face in her neck.

She didn't know what to do. Why was he apologizing? She wanted to ask, but that was impossible, so she gently, hesitantly reached up, patting his back.

"I... I saw." He whispered against her neck. "I saw all of it."

Her eyes widened in horror, realizing what he meant then. "I don't usually see much." He went on. "But yours, I saw. I'm sorry."

She nodded, feeling slow and unsteady. Her heart was beating heavily, and she needed the comfort that the little boy was offering desperately. He was warm and soft, and smelt like cookies and oil. She closed her eyes for a long moment, feeling better.

But what exactly WAS he?

Walter crawled into the bed, curling up next to her and snuggling close. He completely ignored the irritation that got from Oblivion, until the daemon crawled up onto the bed as well, dropping down against his back with a determined snort.

'Taking advantage of her after you scare the daylights out of her?' Oblivion asked darkly.

'It's just cuddles.' He replied with a bit of defensiveness in his voice. 'She needs it right now. And I'm not gonna turn down cuddles.'

'She's your sister.'

'Yeah? So?'

'Don't go to sleep.'

"I won't." Walter replied with a yawn, speaking outloud without thinking. Kitsu looked at him questioningly, but his bi-colored eyes were already closed shut. He had fallen asleep so easily, she thought in wonder as she reached up, gingerly touching his golden curls. Even after telling her that he had seen that horrible nightmare.

She shook her head, not wanting to think that this sweet little boy was so callous as to not be affected by such a thing. Maybe he had lied. Or maybe he had only seen that last part. He looked like an angel, she thought as he breathed softly.

The metallic daemon turned, looking at her silently with blue eyes. Neither could talk to the other, so nothing was shared. But it would stick in Kitsu's mind for a long time as she laid there with the little boy, unable to sleep.

What's this? It appears your Legend has been kidnapped!
They're nowhere to be found, but there is a note left behind-

Your child will be returned to you when our examination is through.
We approximate 24 hours to be the time necessary.

To find out what's happening in this metaplot piece and RP your Legend's part, please click here.
PS- 24 hours ic time, from their kidnapping to their return. The time to RP it out will depend on the group.

The tapping on the window made Ice glance up, her heart pounding too hard for a moment before she recognized the familiar faces in the window. Without a thought she shoved herself to her feet, heading over to open it.

"What the ******** do you think you were doing, woman?" Silva demanded, wiping the snow off of his large, scaled wings. She had forgotten that he was only eight and a half inches tall. It had been so long since she had seen him last.

"Ice?" Aleric asked, completely ignoring his brother. "Is there a problem?"

"Kitsu--." Ice said, taking a deep breath.

"Kisa?" Soho offered.

"No. Kitsumai. She's an orphen that I adopted while you three were gone. She's missing." She said, dropping down on the edge of her bed again, as if her legs couldn't hold her weight. "I've searched everywhere. But I can't find her. She's just a child, and she can't speak, and she's not even the type to defend herself. Silva--," She turned, looking at the feien with pleading eyes.

Silva twitched slightly, fingering his toothpick for a moment before heading for his things in the closet. A little while later he came back wearing the cloak he had gotten a long time ago. Charon's cloak, named after the ferryman that escorted people across the river in hell. "Don't close the window again."

"Wait. Here's a picture of her." Ice said before he could leave, handing him the sheet.

"I'll go with him." Aleric said. "Soho, stay here. Keep Ice company." He said as the two male feien flew out the window, leaving a cold breeze billowing the drapes.

It was kind of sad, Ice thought as a sense of relief came over her, that her strongest support was only eight and a half inches tall and had a bad attitude.

-Wrap up scene here-

Home. It was so good to be home again, Kitsu thought as she dropped down on her bed. She was home and she had made some new friends, she told herself firmly. That was what mattered. Even if she had been scared and uncertain at times, at least she could proudly say that she had made it through.

And she could draw again, she added as she reached under the bed, pulling out the blood red notebook she had gotten as a child. For a second she opened it, staring a bit numbly at the blood red words written on the front page. I BELONG TO KITSUMAI, written in sloppy, fingerpaint looking letters. She didn't want to think of how she had gotten the book to let her write in it. It had been an accident. But she glanced down at the small scar on her thumb again, wondering how a papercut could linger so long.

She turned the page, flipping through the various sketches she had done while in the orphanage, a slightly bittersweet smile on her face. She wondered how Phace was doing. Was he happy in his new home? She hoped so. She hoped he had found someplace as nice as she had found, with people that loved him. She lingered over a picture of the boy before flipping to a clean page and pulling out her colored pencils.

She had every intention of drawing her new friends on the page, Levi, Breena, Chesai, and maybe even herself as they stepped out of the building, victorious. But she just couldn't get the three of them looking right. Levi kept wanting to be the focus of attention, and Breena's eyes kept narrowing for some strange reason. So she gave up, flipping the page to do a random doodle.

It would be nice, she thought to herself as the lines ran over the page, to have a friend like herself. Someone with the body of a horse and the top of a human. A centaur, she thought as her hand moved faster. Someone like her. Her hand was moving before her brain, quickly sketching line after line, curve after curve, so quickly and smoothly that she felt a rush of joy. This was what drawing was supposed to be about. This was what she--

She stopped, jerking her hand away from the book and staring blankly at the face on the page. He didn't look like a friend, she admitted, looking down at the white knuckled grip she had on the pencil and forcing it to loosen.



He seemed to be glaring at her, actually, and for some reason she could almost see him moving, his chest slowly moving up and down as he took a deep breath.

The pencil dropped to the bed, rolling slowly then dropping to the floor with a clatter that seemed far too loud for such a small thing. And slowly the face on the page turned to look directly at her.

Had she been able to talk she would have screamed. As it was she dropped the book and shoved to her feet, horror written on her face as she backed out of the room. She hadn't just seen that. She had definitely NOT just seen a picture move.

Her heart was pounding against her chest as she reached the kitchen, and she leaned against the doorway, trying to catch her breath again and convince herself that nothing had happened. It had all been in her mind.

"Kitsu? Baby, what's wrong?" Ice asked from where she was digging a snack out of the fridge.

Without a thought Kitsu crossed the room, wrapping her arms around her guardian's waist and resting her head on her chest. It was the kidnapping, she told herself. It had stressed her out more than she had thought.

But later, when she got the nerve up to look at the picture... there was nothing there.