My name is Windy. I am one of a group of scientists with a focus on animals and, while I do like my work, I feel like I haven't had a good project in months.
The rest of my five person group feel the same.
I'm about to go outside for a walk when I hear a knock on the door.
One of our group, Falcon, answers it.
It's a girl! She has a note on her shirt.
Apparently, she's an unwanted three year old orphan with no memory.
Wolf says she's a tabula rasa.
He's right but we can make her something more. Something better.
It's late she she yawns.
Good. We can start improving her now.
It's probably for the best that she stay unconscious for this. We're going to make her into our own child.
We'll have to name her first. We also need to decide what part we'll each be playing in in the raising of our girl.
The name and the roles have been chosen. You will learn both in time.
I've got a job to do.
Each of us injects her with animal DNA. Me, Falcon, Wolf, Kitty and Fish.
Over the course of seven days, she becomes a very special girl. I wish she hadn't lost her belly button in the process but it shouldn't cause her any problems.
We've also cut her brown hair to shoulder length. It looks spiky but I think it sets off her bright green cat's eyes, with slitted pupils, nicely.
She has many animal qualities, including eyeshine.
Kitty made sure of those things, along with giving her other feline attributes. Thanks to her, she can see in the dark, move soundlessly on bare feet, jump like a puma and run like a cheetah, whose spots she has running down her spine along with retractable claws. She'll be a skilled climber.
Falcon gives her avian attributes. Thanks to him, she has the wings of a peregrine falcon, that she can tuck in (they'll nestle next to her spine), enabling her to fly like one. She also has hollow bones, air sacs, altered lungs and a syrinx, though she'll only be able to sing in Bird and never develop breasts or menstruate.
Wolf gives her lupine attributes. Thanks to him, she has pointed ears and slightly elongated canines. She'll have acute senses of sight, smell and hearing, meaning her ears will be kind of sensitive, which will lead to a dislike of loud noises, along with scavenger birds like crows and vultures, though no others, much to Falcon's approval.
Fish has given her piscine attributes. Thanks to him, she can breathe underwater and swim up to the speed of a sailfish.
I give her a final ability, one that makes it so she can blend into her surroundings.
Due to all of our work, she'll be very precocious, as animals are smart. She will also be able to speak to and understand every one of them.
We'll teach her to how to use that, along with all of her wonderful gifts, when she wakes up.
I was also chosen to teach her how to read and write, since I gave her the least. I don't mind having that responsibility.
I'm grateful that she didn't end up nocturnal but I can hardly wait until she wakes up. I'm told to do it because I'm the only one who has kids besides her.
They're twin girls named Robin and Wren. I gave our girl their birthday, March 21st, the first day of spring because, to me, it's as good a day as any.
I've also prepared a white lab coat for her to wear, giving it slits for her wings, because she's been naked for her improvements.
I gently run one hand through her hair and she slowly opens her eyes then looks at all of us.
We all greet our animal-girl hybrid.
Fauna.