There's one
prominent character in Scylla and Charybdis who never utters a word
... of dialogue, that is. She has a full range of sounds and expression
at her disposal.
I'm speaking
of Penelope, who is a kearl: a genetically engineered monkey-cat hybrid,
designed to be a comfort and companion animal. I came up with kearls in a
backwards fashion. I had recently reread the Evil Overlord list:
one hundred strategies (and then some) for surviving as a fictional
villain. They range from "if I have a fatal weakness, I will fake
another one," to, "If the princess refuses to marry me, I will say
'oh, well,' and kill her."
As mentioned
elsewhere, I participated in an online writers' conference / workshop during
the building phases of Scylla and Charybdis. Influenced by an item
on the Evil Overlord list, I said that I wanted to have some kind of
monkey-like companion animal, but it was *not* going to help the main character
out of prison by stealing the keys from a guard. Beyond the joke of it, I
liked the idea of my narrator being accompanied by a clever pet.
And so ... the
kearl was invented. I wanted the creatures to be quick and agile,
empathic and loyal to their people, but also quite independent. Penelope in particular is the companion of
Anaea’s dear friend Orithia; how she ends up with Anaea is matter for the books.
(Or rather, the book.) Penelope turned out to be a welcome addition to
the story and a strategic source of comic relief. It's good to have an
ally, even a furry one.
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