30 in 30: Day 14 & 15 - Aleda & Lulu

Here's another double set since they go together.

Day 14 - Aleda Liddle (Palmyverse)

Aleda is a young feline shape-shifter (a were-cat). She is the youngest daughter of a long and illustrious line of American Short-Hair Shifters specifically the Liddle branch, which settled in the area long before other pioneers came to Michigan. She’s only seven years old when she runs away from home during a bitter family feud over the theft and inheritance rights of a powerful heirloom, in order to escape the stress of the situation. She discovers the world is a harsh and strange place, having only known the security of a small sheltered shape-shifting community on the remote shores of Lake Michigan.

She is desperate to get home and in her search she meets Matilda Madison who not only helps her find her way home, but also solves the mystery of who took the heirloom and who it really belongs to. After that she and Matilda become best friends, despite the six-year age difference. Aleda helps Matilda navigate through the world of magic that’s hidden in plain sight all around.

Aleda is small, even for her age, but she is very brave and loyal. She is endlessly curious and is always asking questions and trying new things that are sometimes dangerous, but luckily her friends tend to save her from herself. She can be both impulsive and impetuous. Even in her human form she tends to hiss and growl when she gets angry, and if she’s angry or scared her hair puffs up like a cat’s tail does. Also in human form she is very agile and dexterous, able to jump, climb, and contort like a cat. She also likes shiny things and always wears the black necklace/collar her mother gave after she ran away and came home again.

Day 15 - Lulu Columba (Palmyverse)

Lulu is a bird shape-shifter (a were-dove). She is the oldest of four girls whose parents are both dead. They’re raised by their uncle with their twin male cousins. Lulu has the difficult task of keeping all the children out of trouble, which is not easy in the magical community on the shores on Lake Michigan. She was raised in Chicago, in a small magical community that spanned three blocks, and the wide wilderness of Upper Shores is both frightening and exhilarating.

She is twenty-two and should have been married by now, but she is too attached to the other children. To make additional money she is a private tutor to the rich families in the area, which is how she meets Matilda. When her sister and one of the nephews disappear there is a great commotion in Upper Shores and she asks Matilda to help her solve the mystery and reunite the lost children with their family.

Lulu is a bright, intelligent, brave, and capable woman. She is has a kind and gentle side, but can also be strict when the situation calls for it. She loves learning and teaching and has no plans to marry, but does hope to be come a teacher at the Upper Shore Academy someday.