Okay so I truthfully don't know how this will turn out. Some of you won't enjoy it as much, some of you will. Regardless, I hope you all give this story a chance, since that's the main theme I want to go for.
As well, I will take suggestions into consideration for this fic as well, but keep it constructive.
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The only sign I got that something was wrong was when the ground shook around us all. A deep, horrid rumble that shook and dropped all sorts of items and goods around us, glass jars shattering into smaller pieces and vials breaking from the vibrations itself. Yet none of that could compare to the sudden tremor and shaking as the mine shaft soon roared a horrid, loud explosion that sent us flying away. As I laid there, craning my neck to stare in shock at the mine entrance, the only thing I could think were my parents, who I had last seen heading down the shaft in the shoddy crooked elevator that looked like it would break if too much weight was thrown onto it. The smile my mom had as she patted my head, and promised to play some more music for me when she got back from her shift, my dad quickly added a promise of helping me with my studies.
A cold feeling of dread spread through me faster than anything else I could imagine, as I slowly crawled over to the entrance, shock still filling my body as the only thing I could hear was the pumping of blood filling my ears. With a shaky hand, I reached out even as the tears in my eyes and smoke above made it hard to see, I desperately searched for their arms to be reaching out to me. A cry escaped my lips, even more so as I was dragged back by some of the others that hadn't gone down to the mines for today.
The foreman had said it was a tragedy, that it was unfortunate to lose so many hard workers. He had spoken more but the words just didn't seem to stick with me. After a while, we were all dismissed, told that due to the accident and a need to repair the elevator, they would send us back to Mantle for the time being until the outpost was able to be operated again.
The days after were a blur to me, instances of warmth from the comforting hugs of others, the sheer cold when their hugs were gone, the silent empty room I had shared with my parents. Even then, the room only lasted a few days, as the landlord had gotten word of my parents' fate and had seen fit to decide that since I was unable to pay for the room he would send me out to the streets. I curled up, pulling my knees into me as a desperate attempt to stay warm. Whether it was a day or two or even a few hours, it didn't take long for the cold to take my consciousness too.
The next thing I remember was a greater warmth and light, someone shaking me and I opened my eyes to the near panic look of blue eyes that soon turned to relief.
"Dust, you're actually alive!" the small voice had said, before turning to shout over his shoulder. "Quick! The blankets! He's still alive!" More warmth surrounded me soon. I sat up, looking around at the group that had interrupted me. The blue eyes were paired with deep red hair. A kid maybe a year or two older than me, next to him, amber eyes and black hair. Above the two of them was another two figures, both resembling the girl with amber eyes sitting before him, yet both looked so sad staring at me. I looked back towards the two kids before me, the girl offering a bowl that caused more pain to rip through me as my stomach roared. I looked at the bowl, then the girl, then the adults, then the boy, then the bowl again. I pulled the blanket tighter around me, which seemed to make the girl and boy upset.
"Hey come on! You're hungry right? We aren't trying to hurt you, we just want you to be okay." The boy said, the girl offered the bowl again, holding it higher to me as I looked at the adults, a painfully sad expression on their face. I was confused by why they looked at me like that, unsure of what to do to repay the kindness they were showing me. I bowed my head, trying to say my thanks, but ended up coughing hard. My throat had dried up at some point, holding my hands out for the bowl, I tried to swallow what I could, the warmth from the soup seemed to cause the numbing pain throughout my body to dull itself. The man and woman soon joined the two kids near the ground, asking me some questions that I could barely hear.
The soup… it was from a restaurant just around the corner that served the Faunus. It costs exactly two hundred and ten lien, and had bits of beans and bacon added to it. I only knew because it was the first thing I learned how to order by myself, and my parents had happily clapped when I pronounced it all right.
Tears and sobs escaped me, unable to control anything more, I sat there for who knows how long, nearly choking on the soup that reminded me of the warm laugh my mom would give when dad said something dumb, the sweet words my dad would say when he would see me struggling hard. Memories and happy times washing over me as I faced a cruel and harsh reality no child as old as I should ever have to face.
I will never be able to see my mother and father again.
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I'm not sure how long I had cried for, just that it was the first time I felt more than a cold emptiness fill me. Darkness swept over my vision eventually and the next time I awoke was to the soft humming of a vehicle as it drove to it's destination. A soft shaking of the inside of the vehicle, added in with my head laid down against a soft and warm pillow, I closed my eyes once more, nuzzling the warmth that was starting to become new to me.
Another few hours had gone by when my eyes opened again, though this time not from the jeep's movement or noise. A strong rumble surged from my stomach, the pain of hunger once again piercing my thoughts as I opened my eyes, looking around. The inside of a tent, belongings and sleeping bags set up around, yet no one was inside. I chose to peak my head out of the tent flaps, staring at the group of Faunus that had given me the soup earlier, along with a few others. I rubbed some sleep out of my eyes and smelled some of the meats being cooked over the fire that they had prepared. As I exited the tent, the others seemed shocked at me until the same warm voice that spoke to me earlier came through again.
"Oh! Finally up? I can't blame you, sweetheart, you weren't in the best state when we found you." The tall woman from before had said. I stood back, waiting a moment to try and understand what was happening before she scooted to the side, patting an open spot she had made. It was next to the other two kids I had seen from before, the redhead and the black haired girl. I stayed silent, getting closer to the fire and, coincidentally, the food that was soon served towards me on a plate. I scarfed down what I could, hunger taking over me again. I must have done something weird, however, since as soon as I finished my meal, I looked up to strange looks from the others. "Dear," I heard to my left, looking up at the tall woman as she seemed to just stare at me for a second. "You were certainly hungry, weren't you. I can't imagine what you've been through, young one."
I looked around again, seeing various faces that seemed to be coming to the front of the others. I saw sadness in the girl and, at this point I assumed, her mom. The boy seemed angry, mixed in with his sad, but it was the giant of a man that had made me confused. He looked upset, but not sad, more determined than anything. I looked down, gathering the courage to speak more than I had the night before, my voice cracked, once again strained from a lack of use. Drinking some water and clearing my voice, I told them what had happened over the past few days. The loss of my parents was something that I couldn't even finish, remembering the explosion that came out the mine making me shake until both the little girl and boy both held my hands, comforting me however they could. I introduced myself as best as I could, my name being one of the few things I could confidently say my parents had managed to teach me.
Dorado Mako, their golden ray of joy. They had said that after they finished up what they needed after securing a home in Mistral in a small village outside the city. They had finished, and today was to be the last day that they would work for the SDC before they got their belongings together for their move. It would have been a fresh start, new faces and neighbors, not that Mr. Todge from downstairs was a bad neighbor, but it meant I could maybe meet more kids and make even more friends. It was a distant dream, something I'd never get to see anymore.
I was brought out of my depression again as I noticed the tall lady and giant seem to look at each other for a moment, thinking about something and talking between each other they way my mom and dad had once done while I was in the room. The giant turned to me, his voice deep yet gentle.
"You said Mako, yes? I believe your Aunt may be over at Menagerie still. Does that sound nice? Have you met her before?" I shook my head as I tried to remember what I could about my aunt. As far as I knew, my dad was an only child, so it would mean my mom's sister. She had said a few times before that her sister had always made her upset with her because she acted like a kid so often. It didn't sound so bad, but I also didn't even know her. I couldn't feel safe being with someone I never knew. It seemed like my face held my answer, because a little while later the tall woman had spoken up.
"If you're worried about how she'll act, we could always try to see about getting you comfortable somewhere else. You shouldn't worry too hard about it, child. Just try to regain your strength. In fact, maybe you would like to wash yourself up! Adam, could you go with the little one and make sure he gets cleaned?" The redhead boy nodded, standing up and offering his hand to me. I took it, following along with him as we made our way over to a nearby stream where they had set up camp.
It didn't take too long to reach the flowing water, I knelt down, immediately washing my hands and face by the water and dunking my head down for a second, feeling the cool water flow past my head. My head under the water, I felt a sense of calm flow over me, the sounds around me fading as the water flowed past my body. It wasn't until Adam had shook my shoulder that I jolted up, scared out of the small trance as I looked at him.
"Don't keep your head down there too long, we went through a lot to make sure you were okay, can't have you choosing to hurt yourself more than you had before." His words made me pause, gingerly looking over at the water to get a decent look at the reflection of myself in the mirror. I stared down to the sunken sullen face, wet, messy clumps of my purple hair sticking to my head, my already crimson red eyes puffy and surrounded by more red from all my tears, marks around my face that I couldn't determine the origins of. I felt ashamed by them for some reason, looking down at the rest of my body, I noticed the clothes had been swapped out, no longer wearing the tattered rags I had on when the landlord had kicked me out of the apartment we had. I smiled, the long rows of sharp shark teeth reflected back at me, then turned my head to Adam, which he returned as I finished washing my face and arms.
Once I had finished up and cleaned up, we made our way back to the camp. Blake, the small black haired girl, joined Adam and I to play small games and swap stories. She would tease Adam about some promise he had made a little bit after they had heard what had happened to me. I asked them why anyone would tell them when they explained a little more about their group, The White Fang. They heard of the incident at the mine and had come to speak and protest on the lack of care for survivors and the harsh work environments, something that just went over my head as they tried to describe it. When I asked 'why me specifically?', they just said that they were informed by a couple of mole faunus that remembered me when they were working there. They were worried that I would just be taken to a local orphanage and would never escape the life that I would lead, so they took the chance to tell the Belladonnas my situation.
"A little recon around the area, a very annoying talk with your old landlord, and a quick stop for some soup later and we managed to find you. Now we're going back to Menagerie and showing you how beautiful it is there!" Adam recalled the general idea of what our future looked like, but I soon fell silent, thinking as I stared into the fire. Menagerie was a scary and unknown island place filled with faunus. My mom had said her sister moved there while she stayed with dad when they had brought it up after a few people in mantle had yelled at me to 'go back to menagerie with the other beasts.' Mom had said the man drank too much and to ignore what he said back then.
My knees curled up a bit tighter into my chest as I laid my head into my arms, curling as another wave of hurt just washed over my heart. Before I dove even deeper, however, Blake put a hand on my arm, giving me a soft smile. I smiled back at her, just as small, not really able to give much into it, before I continued to think of the future.
After thinking it over for a few more minutes, I looked to where Kali and Ghira had been watching us three. They met my eyes, sensing I had come to a decision of what I wished for.
"I… I want to go to Menagerie." The smiles on their faces told me it was a relief to hear me accept the move.
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The boat cut through the ocean relatively easy, the beautiful island of Menagerie piercing over the horizon as I stood on the deck, leaning out the rail in shock and awe. The trees and flora from this distance alone was incredible to look at, with a large dock set with many different people going about their lives.
"Yeah, a lot of new residents have that same awe look that you got whenever they arrive." Adam's voice carried behind me, with both him and Blake joining me just as soon as the words had left his voice. The three of us stood to the bow of the boat, taking in the white sandy beaches, crystal blue water crashing in wave after wave glistening under the clear sunny skies. "Let me be the first to sa-"
"Welcome to Menagerie, Dorado." Blake interrupted, her cattish smile at Adam showed she wanted to mess with him, which Adam had evidently not noticed if the cry of "Blaaaaaake!" was anything to go by. They continued to fight between each other playfully, but what caught my eyes were the couple that were looking out over towards us from the docks. The woman had my mom's cerulean blue hair, as well as the Mako's signature red eyes. The man next to her was a stranger to me, but he also had deeper cobalt blue hair and green eyes. What made him stand out, however, was his towering height compared to the woman. Her eyes stared at me, and I could see that she was slowly connecting the dots on who I was. I saw her strain a smile and wave over to me, the boat slowly docking as she waited for the gangplank to be deployed. I saw Kali and Ghira approach her first, discussing something between them as she held her mouth. I saw some tears form in her eyes, and the taller man embraced her tightly.
I took a few steps closer, her sobbing very real and very much familiar. I pulled gently against her dress when I was close enough, and she turned to me with so much hurt and pain that I could even see in her eyes. Hugged her leg, my head resting on her hip for only a few seconds before she broke down, wrapping her arms around me and crying out at the cruel world that had destroyed her family and taken her sister away. I joined her not long after, nuzzling myself into her shoulder as I felt the man lower himself to us. I was finally able to grief with someone who understood, someone who truly knew what was lost that day in the mine.
I woke up a little while later, sitting up in an unfamiliar room. The smell of cooked fish drifted through the air of the humble shack that I was now in. Windows along the left of the bed left me with a wondrous view of the night sky, stars pouring out of the darkness unlike at Mantle. The hum and crashing of the ocean water against the island providing the peaceful white noise I would now have to get used to. If I had to describe the difference between Mantle and Menagerie, it would be like night and day. The warm comfort that Menagerie held the direct opposite of the cruel cold neglect you could face in Mantle. I rubbed at my eyes sleepily as a deep voice pulled me out of my stupor.
"Is that you, Dorado? Dinner's almost done, so why don't you come in here now that things have calmed down a bit, ya?" His voice was soothing and slow, almost as if he was incapable of pushing any sort of aggression out of him at this point. Climbing out the bed, I walked out of the small corner room into a living area dining area set up that was as practical as it was condensed. The tall man I had seen on the docks standing in front of some of the kitchen appliances as he looked back at my entry. "There ya are! Come get a plate and fill ya up, there's plenty for ya to eat." He brought the pan over to the table, letting it sit atop a wooden plank as the smell of the fish and rice, as well as the overwhelming spices that spun around the room itself was dizzying.
I grabbed a bowl that was offered to me, reaching in to eat my fill as an explosion of flavor melted onto my tongue. It wasn't anything I had ever tasted before, even from my parents! My heart dropped at that thought, hunger appeased, I took a few more bites before the guilt took over me again. Trying to distract myself, I looked to the man as he ate his own bowl.
"Where's auntie?" I asked, noting the lack of the blue haired woman earlier that I took after my mother.
"She's with the Belladonna's right now, getting you a new bed and all of us a new place to live in. Our home isn't too big so we might swap over to a bigger building." He continued to chew his food, looking over at me, which made me feel nervous.
"Oh… sorry for taking up room." I mumbled, looking down. Of course my arrival meant that they would lose their comfortable home that they were already used to, who would be so easily ready to take in a new kid they weren't expecting.
"You have nothing to be sorry about, Dorado. If anything, this gives us a chance to shake this place up a bit and earn some more lien. So stop worrying so much, please eat some more." He gave me a small smile, one that showed comfort and concern. I was unsure of what he meant, my stomach was already full after the few bites I ate, so I just kept poking and prodding.
I felt his eyes on me, and felt more so his mouth opening, as though he was about to say something to me, when the door opened, and my aunt entered once more, with both the Belladonnas as well.
"Cosum, dear, could you come here for a minute?" My aunt had said, smiling over to me when she noticed me sitting across from him. "We just have to make sure the house we get is suitable for what we need. So I just need him for a few minutes. Why don't you finish up your food and get some more rest?" She spoke gently as she guided Cosum out the small room. Their voices muffled behind the door. I looked down again at the bowl of food, my stomach now twisting at the thought of consuming more. I quickly moved towards a window opposite of the door, dumping out a bit of the food before moving back to my seat, not wanting to get in trouble for not finishing my food but also not able to do anything more than that. I didn't want to eat more, and it hurt to think about eating more.
The door opened once more, Cosum and Aunt Riona walking with strange expressions as they looked over at me, they saw the bowl in front of me, significantly less food in it than before, to which they breathed a sigh of relief and patted my head.
"Dorado, we found a nice place to stay at. You'll be closer to the Belladonna's place, so if you want to go visit your new friends, you all won't have to go so far. Isn't that wonderful?"
I nodded to her, smiling as I stood and looked out the window once more.
Just a few days ago, I was surrounded by cold winds, colder streets, and the coldest people around. Here in Menagerie, it felt like those things were just impossible to go through. The people were kind, the weather was warm and comforting, and the sea breeze that accompanied the crashing waves just felt so comfortable here.
And yet I would never get to truly feel comfort here, not for long at least.
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Okay, so here we have the setup for the character, Dorado Mako, a shark faunus originally from Mantle. I have many plans and developments in store for him, but for now, we need to focus on his terrible condition he refuses to acknowledge. The adults all see it, so it's only a matter of time before someone calls him out on it. For now though, he has to get used to a few things first.
