 Created by: Lawrenz Lano First appearance:  Other pictures:    | Name: Baya Hair: Black (orange as Ferine) Eyes: Brown (green as Ferine) Height: 5 foot 4 inches Age: 20 Nationality: Tanzanian Base of operations: Ilaga, Tanzania Ethical alliance: Good History Ferine's mother, Awena, was raised in a small village on the border of Tanzania and the Congo. As the village healer, she often crossed the border into the Congo to get supplies she needed and on one of her excursions, she claimed that she had seen beings who did not look Human and who were possibly demons. She recounted the story to her peers but soon regretted having done so. Unaware at the time, Awena had been pregnant when she had witnessed the strange creatures, and when she gave birth to her daughter almost nine months later, the villagers started whispering behind her back. At first, she had thought that her daughter's unfortunate look had been the reason for these. The child was not the prettiest of babes, but before Awena had a chance to give her a name, the villagers had already done so. Baya they had named her. Baya was a somewhat common name in Africa, but the villagers had not picked it out of kindness but out of spite; Baya also meant ugly-looking. It was then that the torments started. The whispers turned into outright accusations as Awena was accused of having lain with the demons she had seen. Baya, they said, was the result of that union. Awena pleaded with them and asked her fiancé to back her up. The child was his, she claimed, but he would not have it. He was a handsome man, and Awena a beautiful woman. There was no chance that this ugly thing was his. He sided with the villagers and also accused her of having lain with demons. Awena never married after that day and no one would approach her, only the really sick would curb their pride to ask for her remedies. But once cured, they ostracized her anew, so Awena bid her time raising her daughter. For nine years she raised her and dried her tears from the constant taunts and ridicule, but when Awena got sick, no one came to heal her, and she died in Baya's arms. Baya knew that without her mother's protection, life would be difficult, so one night, she left her village with her only possession, a goat. It was a foolish thing to do, she knew. The wilds were a dangerous place, but her mother had taught her how to survive them. Baya managed to make her way to a special place her mother had shown her, and made a home there. A few nights after she had settled in, she heard the roar of beasts in the distance. A terrible battle was happening between lions and hyenas and when morning arrived, she went to investigate and found dead hyenas and one dead lion. Carrion birds were already feeding but amidst their bickering, Baya could hear some whimpering. As she followed the sounds, she came upon three hyena cubs. The cubs were newborns and no threat, so she decided to take them with her rather than let the wilds deal with them. She brought them to her home and fed them milk from her goat. The three cubs grew and aside from her goat, they became her only friends. In time, they became old enough to fend for themselves, and on their first hunt, they brought her their first catch. Baya shared their meal and continued to raise them to adulthood. For the next ten years, Baya and her brood hunted the wilds. They avoided lion territory and the four of them managed to tackle almost any prey, until the day they crossed into the Congo. Whether it was fate or destiny, Baya finally saw what her mother had seen all those years ago. The creatures in her path were not Human or animal. They were other-wordly and they were here to hunt. In their arms, they carried the carcasses of a lion, a boar and two vultures. And it seemed that hyenas would do as well. The creatures roared and lunged towards them. Baya was confident that she and her brood could handle them. It would be four against four. Her only worry was that she had heard stories of demons and their magics. She hoped that these creatures did not use any. Fortunately, they did not. Rather than fighting one on one, Baya directed two of her hyenas to tackle the closest creature while she and the third hyena tackled the second closest. The creatures were taken by surprise, not having expected an attack but a retreat. The first creature got its throat ripped by the hyenas while the second was trying to pry its hand out of Baya's companion's mouth. Baya ripped her nails across its face and gouged out its eyes. While it struggled blindly, Baya then commanded her first two companions to take on the third creature, but before they had a chance to reach them, the hyenas were shot down. The creatures did not wield magic, but they had weapons. Baya picked up the body of one of her dead friends and used it as a shield to reach the creature who had shot it. She reached it and furiously fought it with her teeth and nails. As she closed her teeth on its trachea, she heard her third companion's dying cry. The fourth creature was also wielding a weapon, and it had just killed her last friend. Now, it was turning towards her, but it never got the chance to fire. Baya was already on it and her knife was in its throat. Baya got off it, murder in her eyes. The blinded creature was still stumbling about but letting it live was not an option. Baya tackled it down and tore its throat with her teeth. She rushed to the side of her companions but there was nothing she could do for them. Suddenly the air shimmered and a portal opened. Baya took cover when she saw that more creatures were coming out of it, but these were different. They were familiar yet unfamiliar. One of the creatures swore. "Damn it! What do you suppose happened here, Panther? And I was so looking forward to a good fight." "Seems that someone beat us to it, Wildclaw." Baya watched as the one called Wildclaw examined the bodies. His companion, a wolf looking creature, was sniffing the air. "And I believe that the one responsible is still here. I can smell her. A young woman, probably 19 or 20. She's hiding back there." Direwolf said. "Did you say a young woman?" Bengal asked. "How could a Human handle four Tillians?" "She had help, though I wonder if she really needed it." A voice behind Baya said. Baya had not heard the being sneak up on her. She turned ready to pounce and stopped when she saw that he was a Human. Well sort of, aside from the fact that he was blue. "Do not be afraid. I am a friend as are my companions." The blue being said. He told her his name was Avatar Prime, and he told her who they were and what their mission was. He told her that his companions were all Human and only took on their animalistic personas when they hunted. They were here to protect the planet and its denizens from creatures like the ones Baya had fought. "We could use someone like you. Wild Force is looking for people with ferine qualities, and you certainly have what it takes. I know that you have just lost your only companions, but by joining us, you will make new ones." Baya looked at the animal beings. The wolf, the panther, the tiger and the... whatever the other one was. "If I join you, I want to be ferine like my friends." Baya said pointing to the dead hyenas. Avatar Prime nodded and went to the three dead hyenas. He opened their mouth and pulled a tooth from each. He asked Baya to give him her necklace, which she reluctantly did. Avatar Prime placed it in his hand as well as the three teeth and bathed it in energy. "Your companions will always be with you." He said as he handed her back her necklace. "They will forever be a part of you, Ferine." Powers Transform: Changes into a hyena looking being. Animal abilities: Has hyena based powers and an extraordinarily strong jaw capable of biting steel. Animal attributes: Possesses claws, fur and sharp fangs. Heightened senses: Increased sense of smell, taste and hearing. Super strength: In the 1 ton range. Paraphernalia: An amulet made from her hyenas' teeth provides her change. Curiosity: Although Ferine's name should be pronounced fee-rine, she uses the French pronunciation fé-rin. |
