New Addition - Trouble Runs in the Family

[Shinku]

There was nothing quite so nostalgic as the smell of home. The familiar sight of the run-down buildings and the flourishing green and yellow fields had been the first thing to greet him from afar as the ship approached the harbor, but only now that he stepped on land and could immerse in the various odors of his homeland the young man felt that he was really back at home. 
There was a smell to decay, even if it wasn't that of a cadaver but the carcass of a ruined city and yet it wasn't unpleasant but familiar. The known dryness of old wood and stone combined with the wet and vivid smell of the plant life that had conquered the abandoned town. Moss and ivy being the most dominant of plants, but there were also little bushes and here and there flowers in all sizes and colors. Especially the dandelions were widespread.  
Not all buildings were empty. Some stubborn settlers had never left their homes or had come back to them once they could, but most of Stetson island's population was living in Stetson City, the town in the middle of the island, or in the many farmhouses and ranches that spread through the isle. 
A light breeze was blowing, and the wind carried the tastes from the inland to the coast. Brown smells of earth and manure, yellow smells of ripe corn and a fruity smell of orchards and vegetable greens all ruled the place, but there was also a faint hint of forest farther away. 
 
"We're here. Stetson Island, my birthplace." Dan introduced his home to the little girl at his side.  
"The city is in the middle of the island and my parents live at the outskirts where my father has a smithy. I hope the journey has not tired you too much and you're feeling well enough for a little walk, I would love to show you the place I grew up in."  
There was a little stream of carts and wagons with merchandise, some heading for the few ships in the harbor, others to the city to sell the imported goods. But Stetson Island had seen better times and since the gun industry had fallen into ruins, the Island wasn't exporting much of importance and only a few merchants stopped here. One of them had given them passage on her ship so that the young Bounty Hunter and his newly adopted daughter had made it safely over the ocean.  
 
There was no one here to greet them. Dan hadn't send any advanced word of his homecoming and his parents would not expect him back so soon. That wasn't a problem. There would be a delicious meal and a warm bed waiting for both of them at his parents house, once Hunter Delion and his wife Miki heard of Dan's return. Their surprise would be a big one, especially once Dan introduced them to their new granddaughter. 
 
For now, Dan negotiated with a farmer then set their luggage on the man's cart. The old man was a neighbor and would bring their stuff to his parental house, while Dan and Myla walked part of the way. Since Myla's little feet were likely too small to get them far, Dan decided to ride part of the way and just walk the last part. They would be able to watch the fields and farm workers while they rode in the back just the same as if they were walking and when they got to close to their destination, they could take it slowly as they walked. One for giving his parents time to prepare for their arrival, second because it was a nice day and the sun was shining. Taking his time in getting home was like taking time eating a nice meal and treasuring every bite of it.  
 
"Old Mr. Williams here is going to drive us some of the way. Planky might not be the fastest horse, but he'll get us there surely and steadily." Dan said and waved at the old man and the even older looking brown horse, which seemed more bones than anything else. 
"Shall I lift you up on the cart or do you want to get up yourself?"  
He asked Myla, trying to give her as much freedom of choice as he could, though he had been close to absentmindedly lifting her up without asking first. The girl seemed so vulnerable and fragile that it was hard for him to not to mother over her too much. Kids needed freedom to grow and while his little daughter needed safety as well, being safe was never something that should restrict ones freedom either.  
Still.. it was a hard line to walk. 

[Dandead10]

Standing alongside the railing...well, more like on a crate along the railing, the little girl’s head peeked just over the top of the bars. Looking out across the pretty bright water, she was trying to see what her adoptive father was looking at. Well, not officially adopted father with documents, but papa all the same. “There’s a lotta green and yellow papa. Lotta green and yellow.” The little white furred mink stuck her tongue out as she tasted the salty air. It was good to be on a ship as an actual guest instead of stowing away. Myla’s two parents had been held within her arms. A turquoise cat and a lime fox plushy. “Mhm.”

The somewhat drab smell of eroding sediment, mildew, and old wood hit Myla’s nose a bit before it hit Dan’s nose. She sniffed much like a rat would, and her face was twisted into a “slight” cringe. It didn’t smell as bad as some places she’s been, but it was still a little sudden. She was a big girl! She would get over it. “Is something wrong sweetie?” The little mink looked down to her mother before shaking her head. “Nope mama. Just a lil bit stinky is all!” An eyebrow raised from the motherly cat before slowly turning to the serene view. Around Myla’s back was a small, plain bag filled with her few belongings.

Upon landing, the young girl made sure to follow her human guardian off the boat known as the S.S Treeko. Not many would get off with them, but those that did either seemed familiar with the landscape and or had calm, peaceful looks in their eyes. Holding her delicate and small paw out to the loving human, she moved her papa to her free arm. “It’s been a long time since we’ve traveled honey hasn’t it?” The lime fox looked a little comprehensive of the location as he observed the moss, wild fauna, and building styles. “Reminds me of home.” Both toys didn’t say anything else at that point. After 2 weeks of travelling from the East Blue to the West, Myla was rather eager to get off the boat and see what this new place was like!

“So this is where you were raised papa? It seems a lil old.” She wasn’t trying to be disrespectful, but she didn’t think about what she said. She just sort of blurted it out. Kicking her small legs on the old wood, little Myla was excited to see her gamma and gampa for the first time. “Yay! We get to see Gamma and Gampa! An Gampa has somethin called a Smity!” That wasn’t entirely right, but she was just a little girl so who cared? When Dan asked her if she wanted anything or if she was alright, Myla held her left ear, releasing Dan’s hand. “Hmm...I think I’m okay papa! I feel a lil tired though. Dizzy.” In reality, it was land sickness that was plaguing the young child. “Myla? Are you sure that you’re alright?” With an over exaggerated flick of her hair and a roll of her eyes, Myla groaned. “Mamaaaa I’m fine!”

Now...as her papa negotiated with a man, little Myla was drawn to the bony horse with stars in her eyes. “Hi mister horsie! My name is Myla!” The only reply she received was a light winnie and neigh. Reaching into her dress, which was really a sewed T-Shirt, she found what she was looking for. An orange vegetable that was long and pointy and a lil bush of green at the end. It was half eaten. She just couldn’t eat it all. The young child was just so full from eating a few mouthfuls of bread and soup from before. She thought she might puke if she ate more. Myla was still eating far less than what normal children should be eating, but she was slowly trying to adjust. “Careful darling. This...horse thing might be dangerous.” Mama on the other hand had her own two sense. “Oh come on dear. Nothing bad’s going to happen!”

Holding out the bit of food to the weary animal of burden, there was suddenly a snatch, three crunches, and then like that...the carrot disappeared. “Good horsie!” Patting it on the leg, she felt how strong it was. It felt really bony though, like her. Papa was always suspicious, and so he too brushed the stallion and out of curiosity, mama also gave it a pat. However, it seemed Papa Dan had come to an agreement and needed to tell her what was going on. Myla stood there at the front of the cart with wide eyes as her loving, motherly father was explaining the situation. “Thank you Mr. Williams! Thank you Planky!” The mink looked lovingly at the old horse before she was asked a second question.

“I’ll get up there myself papa!” Within a moment, the agile Chinchilla threw her bag over the side of the cart before crouching. Putting force into her thin legs, Myla leaped nearly six feet in the air before flipping twice. Finally, she landed gracefully on the back of the cart in a slight kneel. It seemed that the young child was definitely more graceful than what Dan thought! Mama and Papa looked at Dan with dishplate eyes and nervous lines across their faces. “M-Myla honey...let’s not do that again. I think I might puke up my coin.” The young girl placed both toys side by side on their seats. “Oopsie. Sorry Papa. I forgot. You said no drawin attention.” Mama facepawed before looking at their daughter. “Yes. Please. That’s a rather scary experience.” As if everything were casual, the toddler like daughter turned to her second father. “Let’s go papa!”

[Shinku]

"I worry too much, and probably about the wrong things." Dan thought while he watched how the girl interact with the horse.  
"Not too long ago she had been suffering of hunger and now she shares her food with someone else."  
Maybe it was just a carrot, but Dan knew that it was more than that. Often, those who suffered strongly had to develop harsh survival strategies and those were deeply ingrained in a person's personality and behavior. Such things would not change fast or easily. And yet she was there, sharing her food with the old bony horse.  
"She's such a kind girl." he thought while he got teary-eyed from watching her.  
 
And she was polite as well. There was no need for him to remind her to greet the old man, for Myla-chan offered a genuine thank you to both Old Williams and his horse. It made Dan proud of her. 
 
"You're welcome girl." Old Williams replied gently. If he found it odd that little Dan Delion from the Lion Smithy was accompanied by an anthropomorphic animal girl then he hid it well for no surprise showed on his face. There wasn't even a hint of curiosity, just a calm friendliness that included both the mink girl and Hunter's little boy. 
 
Meanwhile, having denied his help, Myla jumped on the cart. And how she jumped! It was surprising that such a little malnourished body could muster so much strength, and yet it did.  
"She's a survivor. And yet I can't help but worry. Still, I guess it's good she's fast and agile. Once she gets some real food into her, she will be a very healthy child." the thoughts continued, to he voiced none of them. There would be talk later, both with Myla and with her parents separately, but for now they had to take things slowly, one step after the other. he wasn't quite sure why the plush parents were so against her showing off, but there was likely a reason for it, so he accepted that without commenting too.  
 
"Ho ho ho ho. What a lively young lady this is. You on the other hand were a very quiet child. Not like that ever stopped you from exploring the island and getting yourself into trouble. Do you still like climbing? I remember how I always found you up on a tree or a building when you were trying to hide from your work."  
The past and the present seemed so close together for the old man that there wasn't a proper boundary between them. In his eyes, Dan was still the little boy who had helped him out every here and there with the farm work back then in the old days, when the little boy had been even smaller than he was now. But he was good-natured and Dan did not have the heart to interrupt the old man in his reminiscence of the past, so he just nodded smiling. He was still fond of climbing after all, so much was true. 
 
The old man swung himself up on the driver's seat and nudged the horse softly. Planky the loyal companion started into a slow but steady trot and the little family began the next part of their journey.  
 
"Most of the outskirt towns were abandoned when business was starting to go poorly for us. That's why this place looks so old and the buildings look as they do." Dan explained to Myla.  
"Stetson City however is a lot different. The people there might not be very rich, but they are looking very well after their homes and there are a lot of flowers to brighten the place, it's all very lovely." 
 
Such and more he told his adopted daughter as their leisurely made their way over a rocky path through the fields. It wasn't the main road, but neither would it prolong their travel by much and it was a lot quieter than other other road.  
Soon they arrived at a cozy looking family house with an adjoining building that hosted the smithy. 
 
Two people were standing at the little garden gate, waiting quietly as Dan and Myla got closer.  
One was a tall and muscular man with an unruly beard and tangly golden brown hair that had been pulled back into a half ponytail. He looked quite intimidating, but there was a gentleness hiding behind the big brawly body. The other was a small woman with a face like a porcelain doll and raven black, silken hair that was even longer than that of her son. She was petite and yet she radiated a strength that had nothing to do with simple power of the body. Her eyes shown brightly and there was a smile on her face.  
 
"Mom... Dad... I'm home." Dan said happily. It was nice to see the familiar faces.  
"Welcome home kid, you're earlier than expected." his father answered while his gaze was fixed on Myla. Somehow he had a look on his face that was hard to interpret. 
Dan's mother however smiled impishly and gave her husband a playful nudge. 
"Looks like you lost the bet." She laughed, and it was a cheerful laugh without malice or gloating about the won bet.  
"Bet? What bet?" Dan wanted to know and while his father looked a little uncomfortable, his mother was quick and open with her answer. 
"We betted if you would bring home a woman or a child." she told him, before laughing again when she saw the look on his face.  
Smaller than even her short-grown child, the woman had to go on tiptoe to kiss her son on the forehead. 
"That doesn't mean we won't be happy if you do bring home a woman later on."she assured him.  "I quite expect you to actually do so."  
 
And with that she let her son be and got down on her knees to greet Myla.  
"I'm Miki, Dan's mother. And who might you be little Lady?" she asked her kindly.  
"That's Myla. She's-" Dan started, but his mother shushed him.  
"Shush! You be quiet. I'm sure she can answer that herself. And you!" she looked at her husband, "stop standing around like an insensitive chump. Make yourself busy and put some water over the fire. I'm sure they would both appreciate some tea and food after their long journey." she told her husband who laughed at her teasing.  
And with that she held out her hand to Myla. 
"Do you want to come inside with me and have a little something to eat?" she asked. 
"And if you want I can show you the smithy later!" Hunter's booming voice sounded from the entrance, before the man vanished inside to do as his wife had bid him.  
"Please excuse him. He really loves the smithy so he will be so proud if he can show you around. But you don't have to humor him, he'll be all right even if you refuse, that might do him some good."  
"And I'm sure Mom will love to show you her garden. She's just as proud of it as Dad is of his smithy." Dan added with a laugh.

[Dandead10]

Now on the vehicle after her small feat of agility, Myla leaned her head back on the railing as the bounty hunter Dan was caught in some casual talk. She was glad that nobody in this part of town was throwing trash at her, or chasing her, or other stuff. Not that she ever told her estranged father that people used to do that to her in the East Blue. While the nice driver was talking to Dan, Myla simply hummed a little tune to herself while casually looking at the horse at times. She wanted to ride one sometime maybe. She had heard that it was a ton of fun. However, Myla couldn’t help but let out a giggle at the mention of how the friendly Dan used to hide from his work when he was little. The toys didn’t really say too much. Just some quietness and scenery would be nice.

Soon enough, the departure began as Myla cuddled her two parents close to her stomach. Trot, trample, stamp, and the horse went to walk. It was slow, but this was a new experience for the young Myla. Looking at the passing background, she just had a small smile on her face. The horse was moving a bit slow, but she didn’t mind. As Dan took the liberty to explain why some of the buildings seemed a bit shabby, it was mama that decided to ask the important questions. “You wouldn’t think that anyone there would have problems with us Mink folk would you? Or at least treat us differently just because of the way we look.” In the end, Myla and her parents were people; just like everyone else. Papa however was more interested in something else. “What kind of business did this island used to do?” Simple questions. Myla slowly let her plushies go as she looked at the passing outskirts and ruined buildings.

Upon seeing the comfy looking home and the side building which...looked a little confusing, Myla was almost immediately attracted. It was different from all the other buildings. All the other conversations around her didn’t seem to be happening as Myla watched the world slowly roll by. She took in the scents, the sights, and even the taste of the air. The scent of manure...wasn’t that great. However, as the cart stopped, Myla grasped her two toys and small bag. “I-I hope gamma and gampa aren’t gonna be scared of me.” She said almost as if to herself. Her toys were sure otherwise. After all, they raised such a fine young man/woman. Papa was thinking the woman part still.

As Papa Dan took the liberty to lead in the expedition into (in Myla’s case) uncharted territory, the little Chinchilla took the time to follow right behind. She looked at the burly hunter who looked to be as big and probably as hearty as a bear. The gamma was shorter than Dan was, but Myla looked at her with a shy look. Her cerulean orbs shined in the sun, and she subconsciously hugged her toys harder. Hard enough so they couldn’t speak again. The little girl was honestly a little scared of these new faces. Despite them looking kind and being Dan’s parents, she couldn’t help it. For some reason, Myla just wanted to curl into a little ball and hide. That was especially true when sir Hunter was staring at her funny.

However, it turned out that he looked at her funny cuz he lost a bet. While Dan’s mother found it funny, Myla’s lower lip quivered a little. Was gampa going to be mad cuz she made him lose a bet? She held up her mama and papa toys in front of her face, as if trying to hide. When she lowered them, she saw the older woman was looking at her. She was on her knees, trying to get to Myla’s height level so she wouldn’t feel so intimidated. She now knew the woman’s name to be Miki. She opened her mouth to speak, only for Dan to try and speak for her. A quick hush, shush, and command was delivered to the males of the family. Young Myla was offered something to eat. Also to see the "smity” and also a lovely garden.

“S-Sometin to eat? Umm...I think I’m okay. I ate yesterday.” Implying that Dan had not fed her anything ever since yesterday. Well, that wasn’t true. Dan offered her things to eat and tried to get her to eat more, but she just couldn’t. Seeing she had fur, it might be harder to tell, but she was certainly more skin and bone than meat. Myla’s ears twitched once or twice before she put her toy plushies on the floor. “This is my mama, and this is my papa. My name is Myla.” In that moment, both toys stood up and bowed in a polite manner. “Pleasure to meet you.” Papa then introduced himself next. “Indeed. A pleasure.” Myla stood a little shy as she looked to Dan with eyes that said, “Am I in trouble?” She hoped her new grandparents wouldn't mind her being the way she was. Why was she so scared? Dan accepted her after all. Was it just her inner turmoil? 

[Shinku]

A little worried, Dan watched Myla and her plushified parents as his own parents greeted them. The young bounty hunter wasn't worried because of anything his adopted daughter could or would do, but about how she would handle the first meeting with her new grandparents. Despite his amiable nature, the big smith's demeanor could be quite intimidating at times, even though Hunter Delion usually didn't meant it to be and that the man was so towering tall, surely didn't help either.  
 
Dan had tried to prepare his fosterling on the way by telling her, Mama Cat and Papa Fox all he could think of about the people they were going to meet, but he wasn't sure that had been enough to give them a comfortable notion of what was going to await them.  
Even though he told them with confidence that his parents would not find it strange that Myla was a mink or that she had unusual powers. He could not honestly say the same about the other people living on Stetson island, so he had chosen not to talk about them for now, save for the general remark that there had been once a very flourishing gun trade before the rivals from Pecos Town had gained control over the market. With a few exceptions, like the Delion family, most people had given up their smithies and started an existence as farmers or bounty hunters. 
Most of them were friendly people (though some definitely liked to brawl too much once they had a drink or two), but like everywhere, where you had nice people, you usually had a few agitators and grumblers who's reactions could be hard to predict.  
But those few troublemakers would not be a problem. Dan's family was well respected and most of those who didn't like the weapon smith would still be careful enough to not incur his wrath.  
 
Despite all his worries, Myla seemed to deal well with the first meeting with those strangers. Grandparents or not - this was the first time the girl saw those two after all.  
Sure... she did hug her toys as if her life depended on it, but she didn't run away and even answered politely to Miki's question. All in all, Dan thought that his daughter was acting really brave. He was proud of her.  
His mother seemed to think so too, for the small woman smiled gently at the girl.  
 
"It's very nice to meet you Myla-chan. I'm also honored to meet the parents who have given life to such a good child. All of you are very welcome in our modest home." Miki told them with genuine gentleness in her voice.  
She stood up as she said so and made an inviting gesture at the open door.  
Something delicious could be smelled from the inside.  
"It's good to hear that you already ate yesterday," Miki went on and for a second there was a little amused smile on her face before she went on more seriously, "but maybe we can still find something you might find tasty? You won't have to eat if you don't want to, but you're sincerely invited to try whatever we have in our kitchen. This is your home too now." And with that she went in.  
 
"Are you all right Myla? Shall we go in?" Dan asked her, before leading the way.  
 
 
The  inside looked quite simple. A narrow corridor with doors on both the right and the left side and a wooden stairway in the middle was all one could see once one got through the entrance. The floor was wooden too. Mostly old wood that had seen many years of use and wear, but a few of the planks had been exchanged with newer wood - undoubtedly exchanged because they had decayed. Some of the planks were creaking when one stepped on them.  
There was a picture on the left wall that showed some kind of plant, painted by a gifted hand, but otherwise the corridor was unadorned.  
 
Past the staircase on the left was the kitchen. Hunter Delion was standing in front of the stove and was stirring some brown liquid in a pot with his right and the scrambled eggs in the pan to his left. Doing both at once didn't seem to be a problem for the bearded man.  
There was a little table and three chairs in the room, but no sight of Dan's mother. The son was about to ask for her, when Miki reentered the room from the back door that led into the garden. She was holding a chair in her hands and held it up for him to see, even though it was hard to overlook. 
"I took out your old chair from the storage." she announced as she placed the chair next to the table. It had longer legs than the others and was intended for kids who otherwise wouldn't be able to reach up properly when they sat in a normal chair.  
"I'm surprised we still have that one." Dan said and looked at the drawings around the legs. As a kid he had decorated his chair with a few gentle strokes of crayon and during the years, the visiting children had added a lot of paint to the furniture.  
Dan turned to Myla.  
"Well... Do you want to-" he started but he didn't get any farther because at that moment, hell broke loose.  
 
The back door opened again with a WHAM! and one of the plates that had hung on the wall for decoration came crashing down and shattered on the floor. 
Something small and blonde, rushed in and jumped at Dan, burring her head into his stomach and knocking out all air from his lungs before squeezing so hard as if she wanted to get even the remaining breath out of him.  
"Why didn't you tell me that you're back! That's so mean of you!" The girl cried out happily, but when Dan tried to return her hug, she had already let go of him and turned to the more interesting person in the room.  
Without regard for personal space or manners, the girl walked up to Myla and got so close to her face that their foreheads almost touched. She was a little bigger than Myla, though not much.  
"You've got pretty eyes!" she told her, before moving away a bit and pointing at herself with a smug face. "I'm Nana, the leader of this ratgag gang over there." she said and pointed at the door, where other little faces were poking their noses in.  
"Do you want to come with us and see if we can find the monsterbug that lives in the forest?" she went on, completely ignoring Dan who told her that Myla had just arrived and needed a rest - and that the word was "ragtag" not "ratgag" anyway. 
Nana tried to grab Myla by the wrist and pull the little girl with her, but Dan caught her first and lifted Nana into the air where she - to no avail - struggled to get out of his grip.  
"Looks like we need more chairs." Miki remarked. "Kids, you know where to find them." she send them off.  

[Dandead10]

The nice woman, or in this case grandma had told Myla that it was an absolute pleasure to meet her and her parents. With that, Myla shyly grinned before her tail began to curl inwards while she twiddled with her fingers. The vibrantly white mink and her two plush parents were told they were welcome into the home as they were gestured in with the motion of an arm. With a light smile, Myla was about to say something...until she had sniffed the air. She smelt something familiar, but yet it smelled so different at the same time? It reminded her of something she used to bring to her former masters. Was it...eggs? “T-Thanks a lot. A-Also umm yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go inside.” Looking at this vibrant woman, she felt that she was too good. Grandma reminded her of a former mistress she served...who called her a pet. She always felt so nervous around her.

Following after papa, the two toys followed with long, short strides. She was accepted immediately and while that did put some of her worries to rest, she wondered what was going to come next. The house was simple in its form as immediately Myla saw doors to her left and her right. Ahead was the staircase, and Myla’s mouth began to salivate from this painfully familiar aroma despite the fullness she had. Grandma Miki had seemed to have vanished for the time being as Myla and her devoted family were able to see the head Delion cooking scrambled eggs and doing something with another pot that neither Myla or her parents recognized. “Myla, does it smell good?” Looking to the lime fox, she nodded. “Uh-huh. It we-really does.”

Mama watched with bright eyes, staring around her surroundings, admiring the oldness but yet the quaintness of the home. Those feline like eyes taking note of every detail as her soft cotton paws tapped against the floor with each step. Papa however instead opted to stand straight, his hands in his metaphorical pockets as he instead was admiring the rustic nature of the home and how despite its age it was so well kept. Grandma had reappeared with a chair that looked to be more like a piece of art than an actual piece of furniture. Stepping forward to take a closer look at the various drawings made on the long legged furniture, a door slammed open with fierce force. “Wah?!” She was so startled in that moment that she instinctively leaped before slamming her face into the back of the chair.

She froze for a moment before backing off and holding her muzzle with pink lining on her cheeks. Papa Fox however was not so easily startled as he noticed the decorative plate that he was admiring was toppling. “Nooooooo!” Leaping seemingly in slow motion, he attempted to leap for the plate...only for him to slam face first into a cabinet as the plate unceremoniously cracked along the oak wood floor. Mama Cat had just facepalmed and looked embarrassed as she walked up to the broken plate and began to pick up each shard. With no pain, no blood, no way to take essential damage, there was no harm in this. Using her plastic tipped claws, she would grasp the largest shards first, putting them neatly on top of each other. Although this all stopped as Myla, Mama, and Papa all looked to the blonde energy bomb that crashed into the home and suddenly assaulted the bounty hunter Dan with a hug which lasted around five seconds.

To say that Myla was a little bit intimidated was an understatement as this girl immediately approached the unfortunately short mink child. As she was immediately assaulted with a name, a question, and a barrage of other things, the young Myla looked bewildered for one. The children outside the door was evident also, the next generation of this fine island. However, at that moment, Myla giggled a little. Well, that was unexpected. Nana had seemed to be a bright ball of sunshine. At this moment, she spoke loud enough so that at least everyone else in the room could hear. “Papa Dan? What’s a monster bug? Can I go and try to catch it after we rest a lil?” In that moment, it was almost as if papa had teleported in front of Myla with his paw raised.

“Excuse me young lady, but don’t you think you should be asking all of us? I’m your papa for goodness sake! I don’t think trying to catch any monster whatever is safe! Especially for my little girl! You just recovered after all.” Mama on the other hand casually walked up with her paw on her chin. “Ahem...Papa. Seeing sir Dan is the one who’s taking good care of Myla and who brought us to his home, I think we should let him decide. If not, we should vote. As a democracy. I say if Myla wants to go and catch a monsterbug with the other children, she should if she’s feeling alright.” Ah yes...marital disputes. Of course...this meant that Nana as well as the other children coming in would be able to see living toys. Two inanimate objects given personification by the powers of a devil fruit ability. Or in this case, the user which was Myla. The white furred chinchilla just stood there with an anime question mark floating over her head as she waited for a definite answer. 
 

[Shinku]

Nana was a calamity. The girl was like a storm that turned the peaceful home into a disaster area, simply by her presence. It was no surprise that the gentle Myla was startled by Nana's sudden appearance. Even though Dan had caught and restrained the genki girl for the moment, the damage was already done.  
 
Dan could do nothing but watch as the decorative plate tumbled to the floor and although Papa Fox tried his best to save the piece, his effort was in vain.  
With a clear cracking sound, the plate smashed on the ground.  
Despite the loss of the old and probably valuable plate, the scene was so comical that Dan couldn't help but stifle a laugh.  
 
It was a strange feeling.  
On one hand he was feeling guilty for laughing. On the other hand he wasn't really laughing at the dedicated father but at the situation which was just simply funny that it made him want to laugh.  
It made Dan feel a lot younger than he had felt for a long time.  
 
"Are you all right? I hope you haven't hurt yourself." He asked Papa Fox without concealing the little grin on his face. Surely the man would understand that he didn't mean anything bad by it.  
 
"Looks like you have a new jigsaw puzzle to occupy yourself with Miki." Hunter told his wife who held an empty box to Mama Cat and asked her to put the pieces into it.  
 
Myla meanwhile seemed to have recovered from the shock of meeting Nana and showed interest in the bug hunt.  
Dan considered it for a moment.  
There were all sorts of animals on the island, but no monsterbugs that he knew off. In general it wasn't very dangerous for the kids to wander about if they kept to the parts of the forest that they knew.  
And having kids around her own age to play with would do the little girl some good, of that he was certain.  
 
"I never heard of any monsterbugs here on the island, but if you want to look for it that's fine with me. If your Mama and Papa allow it as well I see no problem with it. But you need to stay with the other kids and not wander off alone." Dan answered.  
"Nana!" He turned to the other girl. "Myla doesn't know the Island so she could get lost easily. Make sure to take good care of her." He told her.  
"Aye aye, Sir!" Nana answered and saluted theatrically.
"Leave it to me and my monsterbug hunting squad!"
  
Meanwhile the "monsterbug hunting squad" was entering the kitchen with a set of chairs and set them around the table as if it was the most normal thing to do. They had indeed done the same thing quite a few times before and felt right at home there.  
 
"You're not leaving before you had some food first." Hunter Delion objected before anyone else could offer their opinion.  
 
The kids however, while eager for the food, were even more eager to find out more about the new person in their midst. And of course they wanted to know more about the talking plushies.  
 
"Wow! Those are strange! What are they?" Rodriguez, the boldest of the kids after Nana wanted to know and pocked Papa Fox with a finger.  
"Rod, don't poke him, that's rude!" Dan scolded him. "They are Myla's parents, so you better be polite."  
That notion seemed to amuse the kids but no one of them thought to challenge it.  
"That's a nice dress you're wearing." Rosa told Myla and Aglaia next to her nodded her agreement.  
"Where are you from? Do all people there look like you? Hairy and all, I mean." Finn asked her, but then Nana shushed them all away and told them to line-up so she could introduce them properly.  
 
"This is Michael." Nana pointed at a plump boy with dirty blonde hair. "He's the slowest of us all-" 
"HEY!" Michael interjected. 
"But he's very good with the slingshot."  
"These two are Rosa and Aglaia. They're looking like pretty snobbish girls but they can be very sly and come up with the best plans."  
While Rosa was a small girl with strawberry blonde hair, Aglaia was tall for her age and had platinum blonde hair and fair violet eyes. They both had pretty faces and both of them showed a friendly smile. Aglaia especially looked like a fairy, while Rosa seemed more like a doll.  
"This one is Caleb." Nana poked the smallest boy with the mop of curly black hair. "When you need to find something or someone, he's the one to go to. He knows all the animal tracks and knows secret paths through the forest." 
"Finn here on the other hand is the best when it comes to hiding. No one has managed to beat him at hide-and-seek, though his mother beats him regularly for coming home too late."  
The red haired boy with the freckles grinned as if this was something to be proud about.  
"The one still hiding behind the door is Ery. She's a bit shy, but she'll warm-up to you, don't worry. She's a real lady."  
Long black hair was visible behind the still open door, but that was all one could see of the girl. 
"And this is Rodriguez. He thinks he's the leader, even though he's an idiot." 
"You're the idiot! Who said you could be the leader you stupid girl?!" The brown haired boy protested and roughly pushed Nana backwards.  
"Of course I'm the leader! I'm the one who started this monsterbug hunt and you should be grateful that I allow you to join." Nana shouted and pushed him back.  
The boy grabbed her hair and they both started to struggle with each other, while the other kids cheered them on.  
 
Miki clapped into her hands and got their attention. 
"Well! That's that for introductions. Everyone, get a chair and sit down. The food is ready!"  
Rod let go of Nana's hair and Nana gave him a "you're lucky you're getting off easily" look, but none of them tried to continue the fight.  
One after the other, the kids sat down at the table while Miki and Hunter Delion gave out food and Dan convinced Ery to join them.  
After some very hard work on Dan's part, the girl was finally convinced and even allowed to be seated right next to Myla.  
On Myla's other side, Nana was sitting on her chair as if it was a throne.  

[Dandead10]

Papa had been asked a seemingly innocent question. He was asked if he was alright by the feminine man to which the toy fox would reply, “I’m fine. Just jingled my coin a little bit. Sides, I can’t feel pain!” Puffing up immediately, trying to look as tough as possible, the one true toy father adjusted his cloth muzzle, turning to help mama with the shards of glass. If he was aware that Dan was holding back his laugh, then he was sure doing a good job at hiding it. Obviously, papa fox was trying to maintain on his good behavior, trying to submit to mama cat’s ambitions. Myla was looking to papa Dan for permission on being able to play with the big kids on their monster hunting adventure. She’d never hunted any monster bug before...and it sure sounded like a ton of fun.

Then, her cerulean orbs lit up just a little bit when she was granted a yes. She would be allowed to follow Nana and her musketeers on their quest for what Myla imagined to be a great and terrible beast that they would triumph over and conquer. Yet, she knew somewhere under that shell of innocence that there likely wasn’t going to be anything. Grinning with excitement that could only be seen as animalistic, she cheered. Standing on her tippy toes, she pumped a fist into the air, cheering. “Yay! Thank you papa! I can’t wait ta play wit everyone!” The concept of playing wasn’t foreign. Playing with other slave children was something she could do, albeit rarely. After all, an idle slave was never a good one. Though, she was free now and could likely play for a lot longer than the few minutes she got to spend at a time.

Upon Dan asking Nana to watch over her, Myla just smiled and waved cutely with her paws, stopping at the mention that nobody would be allowed to leave without food in their stomachs first. She didn’t want to be rude, but hadn’t she explained already that she ate to Gamma? Looking a little embarrassed, she didn’t want to say anything in front of this big crowd. Besides, it sounded sort of rude if she wasn’t going to eat anything when the others would. The new people around her sort of made Myla concerned, but nobody had said anything rude to her or had treated her badly her whole time here. Why, she didn’t even have a chance to answer the questions of the others as either Dan or Nana had answered for her, and then it was time for introductions.

She didn’t say anything as she closed her eyes, listening to each name, attaching them to faces and features, then opened them as introductions were declared over by Gamma Miki. When everyone was gathered to the table, she looked across all of them, her eyes opening and looking all around her. “Well~ Hello Michael, Caleb, Rosa, Finn, to Aglaia welcome in. Nana, Rodri, and Ery! I hope the monsterbug is scary, and it’ll tickle me pink, I’m a mink, and I say hello to you!~ Oh, and Gamma and Gampa too!” She said in a little sing song voice, slowly approaching and seating herself upon one of the higher chairs due to her short stature. Mama and Papa had finished their cleaning, and despite their lack of hunger, they too sat for the meal, in Myla’s lap. Now, normally toys at the table was bad manners, but hopefully it would be allowed for now. Wondering what was going to be served, she used her sharp nose to sense familiarity. What would it be?

"Ahem...that was a nice song Myla." Mama cat seemed more weirded out why she wanted to sing that right now of all times, but halted to pet her daughter's arm, papa looking left and right at the crowd. "Now, you there Finn was it? Try not to make your mother scared now can we? Mothers work very hard to take care of their children, and they're bound to get worried. Also, you there, Nana. Don't be so reckless please. Oh! You!" The overbearing father had his mouth covered by a cat's paw. "Let's not ruin the meal Papa. It's time to just enjoy."