Murinae

## Appearance

She's very small and looks much younger then she is.  Pale pinkish skin, light gray hair in a bob and large, dark brown eyes.  She has white mouse ears and a tail that she usually keeps hidden under her clothes, as well as small black claws instead of fingernails.  She usually dresses in shades of brown or grey, choosing clothes with lots of pockets.

## Personality

Very good with stealth and breaking into places, she is, however, skiddish and scares easily.  She has low self-confidence and often stumbles over her words. She can be absolutely silent, but if startled, she will jump and become extremely clumsy.  She is eager to help with anything she can, always wanting to be useful.

She is very fast and good at climbing things. She also loves small spaces, but hates being out in the open. She is very graceful and acrobatic...if she's alone.

Despite her general untrusting-ness, she's a very curious person, always wanting to know about how normal people live, and how things work.

Due to years of working for shady people, she has grown to expect the worst from everyone, and tends to fear physical contact, expecting pain.

She'll work for anyone, but don't trust her with your life. If it's between helping you or helping her, she takes care of number one.

## History

Abandoned by her parents, Murinae had to teach herself to steal at a young age to survive. Any attempts at working were quickly (and loudly) rejected, usually with words like "Vermin" or "Rodent" tossed in and maybe a few random objects thrown her way. She often appears twitchy and afraid of quick movements or loud noises and this may be part of the reason.

Her natural stealth has helped her with thievery, but her jumpy habits make her clumsy when startled or being watched.

Not much else is known about her past, but she has recently mentioned past employments to some very shady people, and severe punishments for when she displeased them. Something about a cage...?

## Story

Murinae was recruited by an unnamed Igneon member for her stealth and lock-picking skills. She approached the Igneon and was surprised to be accepted, knowing that she was a Mouse-Shifter.

After a few days of getting used to the place, she went to her combat training...and failed spectacularly. She couldn't hold a sword or bow, fumbled with the knifes and tripped over her own feet at hand-to-hand. However, when Elm tried to 'train' her (by throwing daggers at her) she quickly, and fearfully, showed her talents of speed and agility. However, she ended up running away, leaving Elm greatly displeased at her cowardliness.

After a time, Murinae left on a trip to the market for the Igneon. Things went well, her hood hiding her mouse-features, until she was startled and shifted by accident. The people panicked, some fleeing and others trying to attack her. She eventually found a safe-ish place to hide and shifted back, though people now recognized her as a Mouse-Shifter. Juniper found her and kindly stayed at her side while Murinae finished shopping, protecting her and glaring at any who looked at her unkindly.

Later, Murinae tried training with Elm again, asking him to teach her. When she did nothing but dodge and throw weak blows, Elm demanded she start punching. She denied her ability to. Elm began to leave. Murinae, scared of being kicked out due to disobeying, had forced her hands into fists...causing her claws to dig into her hands, leaving her injured. Elm became angry at her for injuring herself and not explaining why she couldn't punch, sending her off to the Healer's and leaving.

Sakura escorted her to the Healer's, watching as Murinae was swarmed by Healers, unaware of her petrifying fear at being surrounded. They left on almost friendly terms.

She met Barry later, him having helped her when she was being chased out of a market. She was instantly fascinated by his magical hat, and he took her in for her own safety (and his loneliness).

She was there when his hat was stolen by Frost, and went out to get it back, against her own instincts. She got caught and was talked into a deal. She now (fearfully) works for Hallow, in return for the chance to be human. She hasn't seen Barry since.

## Character Relationships

**Prince Lucas Leafstorm**

Murinae met him when she joined the Igneon. She respects him greatly and wants to prove her worth to him.

**Elm Wood**

Murinae thinks quite highly of him and does not want to disappoint him. She may be getting a slight crush on him, despite how obviously little he thinks of her. Recently though, he's been acting different, which confuses her.

**Juniper Marigold**

Murinae hasn't known her long, but she greatly appreciates and is suspicious of her kindness, as well as her lack of hate and disgust at her mouse form.

**Sakura Blossom**

Murinae is still cautious of her, unsure why Sakura is so nice to her. She is torn between wanting to trust her, and not wanting to get hurt.

**Ember Redburn**

Murinae is a little bit terrified of her, recognizing Ember's instant dislike for her.

**Cole Snowfall**

WIP

**Barry**

She is sometimes living with Barry, a man with a magic hat that she met in a market. She seems a bit calmer around him, perhaps because of his ability to make a quick escape. She feels guilty about her lack of success in her mission to find his hat, and hasn't returned to face him.

**Lady Frost**

 She respects Frost, despite her fear of Hallow, and enjoys being around her.

## Trivia

* Murinae's favorite color is yellow
* Murinae's voice is very high-pitched and fast, kinda like Alvin and the Chipmunks
* She likes the idea of raising a family one day, though she knows that Mouse-Shifters can only have Mouse-Shifter kids, and worries about what kind of life they would have
* Murinae doesn't get sick often, unless it's from hunger
* She is known to be quiet and fearful most of the time, but does sometimes have a few, momentary outbursts when angered, and has sometimes said things that could be considered funny, though whether this was intentional or not is unknown

## Quotes

"You try being a Mouse Shapeshift and we'll see how old *you* look."

"Um.  Sorry I, um, does that count as blocking or deflecting?"

"But I don't know how to tell if someone cares..."

"J-just trying out the, um, out of sight out of mind theory, um, sir."

## Gallery

* (by Andalite)
* (by Andalite)
* Murinae Doing A Flip In The Air (by Andalite)
* Scared Murinae (by Andalite)
* (by Andalite)
* (by Andalite)
* (By Andalite)
* Oof! (By Andalite)
* (By Andalite)
* (By Andalite)
* (By Andalite)
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