Days And Nights (Book of Life and Maya and the Three One Shots)

Itzel

Manny and Frida meet and look after a mysterious girl. 

It was another uneventful evening in Miracle City. Manny and Frida were walking home from the arcade when they passed an alleyway. Frida skidded to a stop when she heard clattering and… growling?

“Hey, did you hear that?” She asked, trying to see in the darkness. 

“Hear what?” Manny asked. When he looked into the alley, he heard the growling 

“That.” 

Manny shrugged, “Sounds like a stray dog.”

“Aw, puppy!” Frida ran into the alley, Manny following her. They ran to some trash cans where the noises were coming from, “Come here little gu-” She moved the cans and froze. They screamed at what they saw.

Behind the trash cans was a young girl. She had long brown hair, tan skin, wearing a blue skirt and top. She was hunched over, about to eat a rat. The moment she saw them, she dropped the rat, snarled, and ran away.

“Wait up!” Manny called out as he and Frida ran after her.

The strange girl knocked some boxes over to block their path. Manny and Frida easily jumped over them and kept running after her.

“Hey!” Frida said, “We just want to talk!” The girl looked back at them and snarled, “Touchy.”

The duo noticed how fast the girl ran and how easily she jumped over obstacles, “How is she not tired?” Manny panted, “I don't even run like that for gym.” 

“Hold on, does she… have a tail?” They noticed a brown tail on the girl's lower back. 

After a while of running, the girl tripped over her own feet, allowing Manny and Frida to catch up. The girl backed away from them against a wall, growling at them.

Manny and Frida were starting to get a little scared. She was very athletic. Could she hurt them? Before Manny could think of what to say, Frida noticed something and smiled, “Ooh, I like your ears.”

The girl stopped growling. She touched the wolf ears on her head that were the same color as her tail, “Oh, thank you.” Manny and Frida noticed the blue and black markings on her face. She looked just a few years younger than them.

“Where did you get those?” Frida asked.

“Get what?” The girl asked.

“All of this. The make up, the ears, the tail. I want a tail!”

“Who are you?” Manny asked, “And why were you going through garbage?”

“I'm Itzel. I was just trying to look for food.”

“There are much better things to eat than rats.” Frida said, “But then again, are they any good?”

“Where did you come from, Itzel?” Manny asked.

Itzel looked down, “My mom is the goddess of wolves.” She said, “I used to be human, but Mama rescued me. Mama, Estrella and I were in the mortal realm, but we got separated a few days ago.”

Manny and Frida looked at each other, not believing all of what she said, “Uh-huh. Do you have anywhere to go?” Itzel shook her head, “That's ok. You can stay with me until we find your mom.”

Itzel narrowed her eyes at the duo. After a second, she got close and started sniffing them.

“Uh, what are you doing?” Frida asked.

“You smell like my cousin and his wife.” Itzel said.

“What?” Manny asked.

“And like the Sanchezes.”