**************************************************************************** ****************This takes place before the Buu Saga!!!!*******************

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: I don't own DBZ (I wish I owned Piccolo!), no $$$ is being made off of this blah blah blah...I DID make up Deshee! She my baby! Don't sue me! All I got 's my pants!!!!

PROLOGUE

He'd found her lying there; tears streaked across her face and her body sprawled out on the lush, green grass. Her swollen bruises and oozing gashes made it clear that she was not merely resting but struggling for life as her partially exposed chest heaved at random instances, begging for air. For life.

Piccolo noticed deep, straight cuts along the girl's shoulders and wondered if her back was covered with those marks as well. Her clothes were of a brownish-gold fabric he could not identify, barely creating the appearance of a dress. The material that actually remained had been slashed to ribbons.

'What an odd creature...'

His dark eyes scanned the dog-ears she possessed on the top of her head. Her hands and feet were not of human origin but that of a wolf, complimented by a thick trail of hair running up the backside of her arms and calves. A large, furry tail lay curled between her legs, softly cradled by two enormous wings mounted on her back, as real as a bird's.

Her fur was brown, her outfit was brown, even her skin was brown. Brown brown brown. The only contrasting color was the pure white of her wings and the red ribbons of blood coating her body.

Piccolo kicked at one of the creature's pawed feet hoping to wake her up yet at the same time he feared what hell such an animal could wreak on Earth. Although his fearful curiosity ravaged his mind, Piccolo could not remove his eyes from her face. Her face and her body were completely human, completely beautiful.

'What is she?'

A moan escaped the wolf-girl's throat as she struggled in a fit of nightmares.

'Whatever happened to you, kid, you're in no shape to be hangin' out here.'

Removing his large cape, the tall, green man knelt down beside the girl and wrapped her gently in the white fabric. Why he was bothering at all was beyond him but for some odd reason he didn't care. Perhaps it was because the defenseless little girl reminded him of Gohan when he was so young so long ago.... at least that's what he told himself.

Using his Namekian skills he took to the air, flying all the way to his cave high above the desolate Sahara Desert.

It wasn't until around midnight that the winged creature awoke, screaming a foreign word,

"TETSI!!!"

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A fire blazed before the startled youth, its warmth making her smile softly. Her large brown eyes met Piccolo's and she shrieked; not at the sight of him but at the illusion the dancing flames made in his eyes, which glared out from the shadows cast by his prominent brow ridges. Recovering from her initial shock she peered into Piccolo's obsidian depths with wonder.

'One of her eyes is lighter brown than the other. Odd.'

And indeed this was true but despite her awkward appearance she continued to stare at Piccolo as if she had never seen anyone like him before. Piccolo reached a finger out to her and she sank back into the cape still draped over her broad shoulders.

'A fire,' her mind whispered, 'I never seen a fire before.'

She reached a paw forward and cried out when the seductive flames burnt her tender flesh.

"Oh hey, careful!" Piccolo clutched her singed paw and poured some cool water from his canteen over the burn.

"It hurt," she finally spoke.

"It's a fire, kid, it'll burn you if you touch it." Piccolo felt as if he were speaking to a three-year old and, for some reason, he found that a bit endearing.

The warmth of Piccolo's emerald palm frightened the girl and she withdrew her paw. "What you called?" She cocked her head to the left, still penetrating his gaze with her own.

"I'm Piccolo; how 'bout you?"

"I am Teshenee, it mean 'slave' where I come from."

Piccolo frowned, 'That's no good.' "How about I call you 'Deshee'? It's a name in my native tongue."

The girl yawned and decided it was suitable. She pounced on the pillows around her and Piccolo noticed how she walked on all fours, her human arms and legs making her look clumsy and odd. All in all Deshee just seemed odd; the word fit. Then her back turned to him, revealing her carved up flesh, blood staining her white feathers. He winced inspite of himself.

"You thirsty?" he inquired, making a mental note to take care of Deshee's wounds later on.

She nodded her head, holding her paws a safe distance away but close enough to the fire.

"There's a cup on that ledge jutting out above my bed. Go get it."

"Really!?!?" Her eyes grew wide.

The green man gave her a weird look and pointed to the earthen cup. Crawling forward, Deshee leapt onto Piccolo's bed and grasped the water reservoir between her brown paws. Dipping her tongue into the cool liquid she took small sips, careful not to drink too much.

"What are you doing?" Piccolo gave her that weird look again.

"Making sure it won't go all away."

"Just down the damn thing; there's plenty more where that came from."

She nearly inhaled the water and then pounced on Piccolo's pillow, sniffing it, clutching it to her nose. Then she leapt off the ledge and crawled over to Piccolo, sniffing him before a smile broke across her face.

"What are you doing now?"

"My mother always say a bed always smell like its owner but I never believed. She was right! It smell like you! You own it?"

"Yeah, I do." Piccolo was really confused at this point. 'Has she ever had a drink of water before? Has she ever seen a bed? Or even a fire? What the Hell is wrong with this kid, is she mentally retarded or something?'

"Hop in," he sighed, "I'll let you sleep there if you like; I can meditate over here."

"Really?!?!"

"Sure."

He stood up and waited for her to do likewise but she didn't. "Um... you gunna get up or what?"

"I not allowed."

"Not ALLOWED?! That's bull! Get up!" He grasped her paws and yanked her to her feet but she collapsed into him. "You can't walk, can you?"

Deshee gave him a defeated frown. He clutched her small paws and helped her find her balance. Placing a large hand on her back he eased her forward.

"Keep your weight on the balls of your feet."

Leaning over her dog feet Deshee's heels peaked up.

"And keep those down," Piccolo smirked.

Pain welled up in her eyes as Piccolo guided her across the cave floor. Muscles took to the new task and she was learning slowly yet surely.

"That's enough." He looked at her nonexistent clothes before muttering an almost shy, "C'mere and put these on."

He threw a pair of boxers and a gi shirt at her and she changed when she knew his eyes were on the fire.

"Oh, Tetsi! Where is he?"

"Who?" Piccolo looked confused.

"The guard. I was going to share his bed tonight." She caressed the ring on her left ring finger.

"Explain," his tone was cold and suspicious. This creature before him barely looked sixteen, and to be married?

"On my planet, I am slave. That is cuz I am half Janjin-kee and why I not allowed to walk on two feets like the Royals."

"The Royals?"

"Yes, the Royal King and Queen, their family and their guards. They all are full Janjin-kees with long snouts, sharp teeths, beady eyes, big ears, paws, and tail like mine. The skin all over their bodies is cover with small smooth hairs; they have no plain skin parts like me, they are all doggy-like. And only they are allowed to have their tails curly up and they can spread their wings; the guards can actually fly!"

Piccolo eyed the girl, "So you're basically the bottom of the food chain, huh?"

"They have pet dogs."

"Do they get fed more often than you?"

Deshee nodded, defeated.

"Yeah," Piccolo sighed, "That's what I thought."

"About Tetsi," she nervously changed the subject, "I was in love with him, even though he was guard and slaves can never love a Royal. He was sometimes mean, sometimes nice, whatever he felt I had to deal. But I was going to share his bed tonight and give him this." Again she caressed her ring.

Piccolo then realized that the ring on her finger was not an engagement band and grew curious about its hidden meaning.

"What would that ring do, kid?"

"I made it by melt metals left by Royals during their parties. I wear it all times so, when I find the one man who will not break my heart, I will give him my most precious gift with this ring; he will have this as a present to not only share my life from that times on but also for the times he missed but the ring witnessed."

"What's your most precious gift, kid?" The Namek couldn't help but ask.

"My virginity."