Neekaori, Child of the Beast

Having been raised by humans for much of her life, and raised to be a "respectable lady," Neeka has the smarts and skills to survive in the human-built world that her brother doesn't. Unlike him, though, she's driven to find their father and discover exactly what happened the night when he left. She's had dreams of him guiding her life for as long as she can remember, but at the same time she doesn't believe him dead, despite the typical belief of the humans around her.

Neeka is a tomboy without a doubt, and was a sore trial to every guardian who attempted to take care of her for more than a fortnight. The only caretaker who could put up with her, and who eventually always ended up taking her back in, was an old lady who insisted on being referred to as "Grandmother."

A few inches taller than her brother, Neeka's hair is almost always chopped off, leaving jagged ends and uneven strands that she just can't, or doesn't feel like, straightening. Her typical dress is that of a man, and her attitude, voice, and habits often permit her to carry the deception through. She'll wear almost anything that fits, or even anything that she's handed, as long as its not dresses or skirts or anything of the sort.

Old enough to remember quite a bit of what happened in the "before the humans" time, Neeka has been raised by a succession of humans who believed themselves strong enough to tame her wild nature down. She's the "communal child" of the entire village, and so was passed from hand to hand as a child, as people tried their hand at taming her. Unfortunately for them, nothing worked, and they eventually just handed her back to the only caretaker who could stand her, the elder of the village.

After a dream in which her father told both her and her brother to free themselves and search him out, she hastened to further her disguise as a man, and to practice methods that would keep dogs from being able to track her and her brother. Finally, on the night of the new moon, she and her brother escaped their respective keepers and began their journey to find their father.