This is the direct prequel to "New Girl In The Undercity". This chapter's title is a working title, and maybe subject to change.
This is my take on Zarya's life. In order, how she was adopted, before and during her life as a sky pirate and why she ultimately left The Pinkskulls. I tried to make as much sense of it as I could.
At any rate, please enjoy!
In the Realm of the Fey, where pixies as far as the eye can see flourished, Hortensia Q Sparklebottom was just sweeping up her orphanage, which seemed spick and span. Suddenly she heard her pager going off. Looks like one of her babies was going to get adopted. Without a moment to spare, she presented herself to her customers in question. They indeed seemed to be a tough looking couple. These were Alan and Eleanor Moonwolf.
Both had always wanted a baby daughter of their own. Ultimately, they opted for adoption. Hortensia was more than happy to accommodate them. Since only pixie's and babies could enter, the strange spider lady showed them the vast assortment of through a magic mirror.
Hortensia patiently awaited their finally decision, only to somewhat cringe at at their final decision. It was a purple haired one year old. She didn't show the Moonwolves, but she had a look of worry on her face. Something about giving her away scared her, as if the fate of the Realm depended on it.
Nevertheless, Hortensia vowed that every baby a home one day, and this one was no exception. With a heavy heart, she gave the child to the Moonwolves, who gazed upon the child longingly. They loved her as soon as they laid eyes on her. With their child, the Moonwolves went on their way.
As they left, Hortensia's smile faded into a worried frown. She had mixed feelings on the matter. What are the consequences of what I've just done? The old spider thought. At the same time, she was glad she found "Littler Howler", a nice loving family. She did dread one thing though. One day, the Moonwolves would have to tell their daughter that she was adopted. Why that was, most of the pixies were afraid to ask.
Seven years have passed. It was a nice, sunny, almost cloudless day out in the vast expanse of ocean in Gemina. Sea gulls as far as the eyes can see were diving into the water for their daily catch, while large, strange sea creatures were underneath, swimming leisurely through the sea. Off in the distance, a coastline could be seen, and nearby was a simple village, called Terra's Peak, in which people flourished. Among the populous, the Moonwolves were on to their daily routine.
Alan Moonwolf was a rather muscular man an who stood six foot one, had brown eyes, short yet wild brown hair, and sported a dark red long sleeve button shirt, khaki pants, and a navy blue jacket. He was a Sea Captain, sailing out at sea with his fellow sailors. He was somewhat gruff and stubborn, but still a respectable man all the same.
Then there was Eleanor Moonwolf. She stood five foot eight, had long black hair, hazel eyes, and sported a turquoise shirt with a cropped black jacket and black pants. She was the best archer in her village, winning archery contests each and every year. She was a somewhat snarky individual, yet easy going on the whole.
And alongside them was their adoptive daughter, Zarya Moonwolf. The combined personalities of her parents were definitely evident, as she was tomboyish, care-free, yet had a bit of an attitude. Be that as it may, she was very close to her parents, as they were to her.
One summer morning, in her one story house, Zarya was trying so hard to sleep in. Apparently, she did not sleep very well at all the during previous night. Her eyes were pretty baggy, surely she could not have gotten any more than four hours of sleep. It certainly did not help that the bright sun was shining right in to her eyes through her window.
"Ugh, what's the point?" Zarya said, in a groggy tone. With that, she got out of her hammock, and slowly made her way through the halls, where her parents were waiting. Alan is reading the morning paper while Eleanor was brewing up a fresh pot of coffee.
"Can you believe this load of minotaur dung?" Alan said, in a rather husky voice. "Ever since ships took to the sky, people have been saying that standard sea ships are no longer relevant."
"Well, you can't say they don't have a point." Said Eleanor, in her usual cool demeanor, already with her first cup, laying her feet on the table without a care in the world. "The realm as we know it is changing, whether we like it or not. Don't you think we should change along with it?"
"Eh, maybe. Even so, I'm not giving up ole Eleanor." Alan then turned his head to Eleanor, staring lovingly. "Named after the the love of my life."
"Flattery will get you nowhere, captain." Eleanor responded with the same look in her eyes as her husband, the same loving look. They were just about to share a kiss, only to be interrupted by the sound of groaning. They then divert their attention to Zarya, just entering the kitchen.
"Well well, look who decided to join us." Eleanor said, walking over to Zarya and kissed on her forehead.
"Yeeesh, you look like a zombie fresh from the grave kiddo. Did you sleep well?" Alan said, telling her daughter like it is. Zarya never did mind how blunt her parents can be, she'd rather know the harsh truth than a beautiful lie.
"Actually, no. Hardly slept a wink."
"Well what's wrong sweetie?" Eleanor said, concerned.
"It was a bad dream, that's all."
"Wanna talk about it?" Alan asked.
Zarya was very tempted to tell her parents at first. She always looked to them for guidance. Yet, at the time at least, she was not in the mood to talk about it. She was still trying to make sense of her dream herself. "Maybe later, it was kind of… weird." Zarya made her way to the fridge for orange juice. She was just about to drink it straight out of the carton.
"Hey!" Alan Shouted. "You know better than that." Zarya then opened the carton wider, smirking while she did so. "That's my girl!", to which Zarya was chugging it down. Apparently, Alan wasn't all about teaching his daughter table manors
"Sailors." Eleanor said, shaking her head while smiling. "Why not take a walk, Zarya? Might take your mind off things. Just don't be gone long, homeschooling starts in an hour."
"You can count on me Mom." Zarya said, taking one last sip before she gave her parents a quick hug each and went on her way, grabbing an apple while she was at it.
Zarya had been walking a good while down the woods. She made short work of the apple she took, leaving only the tiny branch to tell the tale. After a few more steps, she got where she needed to go, the coastline.
Zarya stared out into the horizon, almost absent minded. Indeed she had a rather strange dream she had last night, but the question that bothered her most was, did it mean anything? She stared for what seemed like hours. Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind her.
"Yo, Z-Star!" Said a young girl about Zarya's age, in pink peasant attire and yellow eyes. It was none other than her best friend, Kitty Boon. Zarya turned around and smiled, happy to have a little company.
"Hey, Kitty! Whatcha doin out here huh?"
"Sneaking out of being grounded, same as usual." Kitty and Zarya both giggled at that, apparently this wasn't the first time she snuck out. "What's your excuse?"
Zarya's expression then turned melancholy, catching Kitty's attention almost right away. She had never seen Zarya with such a worried look before… not since she broke Eleanor's prized archer trophy. Zarya then sat down on a log, as she explained. She knew if there was anyone she could talk about it too, it was Kitty.
"I had a really weird dream last night."
"Weird as in bad? Or what?"
"I guess it was bad. So there was this Queen, right? Well, the Queen had two baby daughters. She was warmly holding them, saying how she loved them and all that jazz. Them this hooded figure came in and froze everyone, before anyone could react. He then took one of the babies, and then just left. The last thing I heard, right before I woke up, was the baby's cry, for its… her mother."
"Wow Z-Star, that's intense. What did any of the, look like?"
"That's just it, I'm not sure. Everyone's faces were shadowed. I couldn't see… Who would do that?!" Zarya's expression quickly turned from melancholy to frustrated, much to Kitty's shock. "That's totally messed up! That baby could have had a family, a loving family! Why would any-"
"Whoa, girl!" Kitty quickly interrupted, grabbing Zarya by the shoulders to snap her out of her rant. "Take it easy. It was just a dream, it didn't mean anything."
Zarya took slow deep breaths, tempering herself. "Sorry you had to see me like that. I don't know why this dream got me like that. In a way, it felt personal."
"Don't worry about it Z-Star. It's like I said, dreams don't mean anything. They're just dreams, sometimes you'll get good ones, other times you'll get bad ones. Then when you wake up, they're gone."
Zarya thought about that for a moment. She was still a little shook up, the dream felt so real to her, and somehow familiar. Then again, perhaps she was just being silly. As Kitty said, dreams are just dreams. "Thanks Kitty, that helped me like you wouldn't believe." She said as she placed her hand on Kitty's shoulder. Zarya then noticed Kitty's pocket watch. That was when reality hit her like a ton of bricks. "Yo Kitty what time is it?"
Kitty then took out her pocket watch to verify the time. "It's about… one o clock."
"Oh bugbears!" Zarya shouted. "I was supposed to be home an hour ago for homeschooling! My mom's gonna kill me! I'll catch up with you later, bye Kitty!"
"Later Z-Star!" Kitty waved as Zarya was rushing back home as quickly as she could. As cool as her mom is, she was not above discipline, and she dreaded the punishment that was in store.
The young rebel suddenly stopped short at the last moment. Something wasn't right. She could have sworn there was the smell of smoke in the air. What was more disturbing was the direction it came from. Zarya then ran even faster to see what was happening. Much to her horror, Terra's Peak was on fire, and people were running like mad.
Chasing them were bloodthirsty pirates. They were all part men, and part bird. They were plundering the village for keeps, and disposing if anyone who gets in their way. Discovering this horrifying sight, Zarya made a b-line for her house, she had to see if her parents were okay. Sure enough, she saw her house was on fire too. Any other person would run at the sight. Yet, with the stubbornness of her father, Zarya barged in. To her shock, she saw her mother and father fighting off a few of these marauding pirates.
Zarya knew her parents wouldn't go down without a fight. And wow, were they putting up a good fight. Zarya could not help but watch in amazement as her parents were bravely fending off the assailants. From the sidelines, she was cheering them on. Alan was the first to notice her, just as his sword collided with the opposing pirate's sword.
"Zarya! What are you doing here?! You have to run, now!"
"No way! I'm to leaving you guys!"
"Do as he says, Zarya, we'll be fine! Shouted Eleanor, as she was holding off one pirate with her arrows. You need to get as far away as possi-" Before she could say another word, she was blindsided by another pirate, who shot here with a hand cannon, sending her flying through a wall.
"NO!" Shouted Zarya, as she rushed toward the pirates, as they began surrounding the downed archer. "Get away from her you monsters!" She latched on to one of them, only to be thrown off against the wall, hitting her head hard.
"Zarya!" Shouted Alan. He then threw the pirate he fighting aside and rushed to help her, only to be blocked by more. With all his rage, he was fighting them all at once, though he was outnumbered. Zarya, still breathing, could faintly see her father fighting off the pirates. Suddenly, a silhouette of a particularly large pirate was making his way to Alan as he was restrained. Before she could see what happened next, Zarya completely blacked out.
Zarya had been out a long time. She started to open her eyes, slowly yet steadily. She was shocked to see that she was on a pirate ship. She saw several children around her age. Among them was Kitty and her little brother, Kasey.
"Kitty?"
"Z-Star! You alright?"
"I think so. What happened?"
Poor Kasey teared up, holding his big sister tightly. "They're gone. Our parents are gone." He said as he cried into her sister's arms. Kitty did not cry a single tear, but the pain of their loss was still evident in her expression. Zarya felt terrible upon hearing that.
"I'm sorry. I really am." Before much else, a large bird man loomed over everyone. His head seemed like that of a scarlet macaw, and his wings were metallic. Zarya figures this must be the captain. Good, because she was itching to give him what for.
"Greetings younglings." Said the intimidating captain, with a wicked grin on his face. "I be Captain Kaos. Seems you little urchins are in need of a good home. Luckily for you, there's always room for more in my crew."
Where are my parents!" Zarya Shouted fiercely. "What did you do to them!"
"Ah yes, I remember. My apologies lass, but I'm afraid yer parents didn't make it. I saw to that one myself." As Kaos began laughing, he pulled out Eleanor's pendant from a bag he kept it in. That did it, Zarya tightened her fist and charge at the giant bird. Unfortunately, size mattered greatly here, as Kaos picked her up by the back of her hoodie, as she tried in vain to land a hit. "Well look a you, full of fury I see. Well, you'll know yer place soon enough."
Kaos then threw Zarya to the ground, asserting his dominance. "Let this be a lesson to the lot of ya. Either obey me orders, or be punished by me talons! First thing in the morning, you all will scrub the deck. Sleep soundly now, it be full day tomorrow." Kaos cackled as he left to his quarters. Meanwhile everyone was left outside. Zarya had a wrathful look in her eyes, with was sprinkled with sadness. Kitty moved to hug her tightly.
"I'm sorry Z-Star. I really am."
Zarya couldn't help but hug back. She needed someone to be close to after hearing this news. "I guess you abducted you too huh?"
"Not at first. Me and Kasey gave ourselves up… so I could be there for you."
Zarya at least took comfort in the fact that she wouldn't be alone. Still, she wasn't going to let Kaos get away with this. They made a vow to one day get back at him. That opportunity, would come soon.
Four years had passed since the young villagers were kidnapped by the ruthless Captain Kaos. Those who did not obey Kaos's orders, were either threatened with their personal mementos being thrown overboard, while more rebellious types were beaten into submission. Zarya had endured such pain at least one during this mad pirate's tyranny over them, and she and kitty finally decided they had enough.
With careful planning, they over through Kaos, and marooned him on a mysterious island, where he vowed vengeance, and that she and kitty sea ore they would never return to. Since then, Kitty took command as captain, by Zarya's recommendation, saying that Kitty was like a big sister to her all the years she's known her.
Together, Zarya, Kitty, and Kasey formed the Pink Skulls. They did everything together, treasure hunts, stealing from other pirates, exploring new islands, and so forth. It seems that they had finally found their calling. Yet, Zarya seemed… off. As of late, she had been staring into the horizon, contemplating on her life. Kitty knew something was up. With Zarya, she could always tell. Enough, was enough, it was time to see what the big deal was.
"Yo Z-Star, what's eating you?"
"What do you mean?" Zarya asked nonchalantly.
"Oh don't give me that. These past few weeks you seem distant from the rest of us. From me. C'mon Zarya, you've never shut me out before, so don't start now."
Zarya took big sigh. She was somewhat afraid this day would come, when her true feelings on her life would be known. Nevertheless, Kitty was right. It was time to come clean.
"Don't get me wrong, these past two years have been great. Flying wherever we want, treasure hunting, and just being free. But…"
"But what?"
"All this treasure we've been gathering. We've mainly kept it for ourselves."
"Hey Z-Star, it's not like we're stealing it just for fun, need I remind you of our survival?"
"I understand that, but not everyone we stole from deserved it. Plus, there are people out there who are struggling, just for a bite. Just like us. People who could really use our help."
"Look girl, I get where you're coming from, but what other people are going through, is really not our concern. We look out for our own, pirate code."
"Then… maybe a pirate's life just isn't for me. I want to help people, Kitty. People who are like us. It's not easy for me to say this, but I'm leaving the Pink Skulls."
Kitty expression turned sour. How could Zarya just turn her backs on them like this? Since when did she have that kind of conscience? Sure, being a pirate had its ups and downs, but at least they never went hungry. Still, Kitty did not want to keep Her long time friend on board against her will. If she did, she would be no better than Kaos.
"Alright Z-Star. I get it. I just thought, it would be you and me against the world, but it's like my folks used to say, "If it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be.". Anyplace you had in mind?"
Zarya took a look at her map. The nearest place of civilization was a metropolis called Drake City. Such a bustling city is bound to have those who are in need. Looks like a good place to make a name for herself. "Drake City, five miles due North."
Kitty took one deep breath before giving the order. "Let's fly some sky, Pink Skulls! Five miles due North!" With that the pink skulls were their way.
For Zarya, this was bittersweet. She indeed had some good times with the Pink Skulls, Kitty especially. They've been through thick and thin together. At the same time, she was looking forward to making a name for herself, helping those in need. Stealing from the rich, giving to the poor. That reminds her of an old story her parents once told her.
For Kitty, this was just bitter. She could never bring herself to show Zarya, nor would she admit it, but Kitty herself had become a bit vindictive toward the realm in general, feeling it dealt them a terrible hand. And now Zarya, who was one of few people she could truly trust, was leaving them? She could not help but be mad at Zarya. But she could never bring herself to hold a grudge against her. It was Zarya's choice, and she made it.
Kitty knew one thing though, Zarya hadn't seen the last of the Pink Skulls. Not by a long shot.
I decided to dispense with telling how they overthrew Kaos since at least most of us already know how that happened.
Only one more origin story to go. And well, let's just say it has to do with a certain Lich Queen *wears an evil grin*. As always, feel free to review and share your thoughts.