Wasted Time
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Hunter Pups Collection; Lumi and Paige.
🕑 Added 2022-10-02 06:51:01 +0000 UTCTrenton, Qali and Lumi; (The other Hunter family hybrid)
Initially, I think I wanted Paige to be the only hybrid, and even then Paige's creation was one I struggled with in terms of actually going through with. I think shortly after Rehab was completed, on the old blog, I asked you guys what story they wanted to see next, before pitching the ideas I had lying in the back of my brain. I remember at the time I think I discussed both Dawn and Vern taking hyphenated names, and one of the stories centering around a possible hybrid pup. Then I received a comment telling me that both the hyphenated names and the hybrid pups were a bad avenue to pursue. And while I stuck to the hyphenation regardless because I thought it would be a very Vernon thing to do to insist Dawn embrace her old name, I did bench the Paige project. It was only after the word of god (Zootopia's creators) said hybrids were definitely a thing, did I revisit the idea and find the story to be told there. Still, Paige was initially meant to be the one hybrid in the family, as reasons will be established in the last Bellhunter story as to why Dawn and Vern managed to win the pregnancy lottery so to speak, and why it would be harder for species that were genetically further apart to have pups on average, at least for some time as the methods to assist such pregnancies got better.
I'll admit, Lumi (Named by Unformed8) was created totally based on the prospect of making a very fluffy girl. That was one of the reasons Trenton and Qali were chosen to have a hybrid, the other happening to be that foxes and wolves would logically have a smaller species gap genetically speaking. It made the most sense that if Trenton and Qali made an aggressive attempt to have a hybrid child, there's a better chance of them succeeding than say, Zach and Vanna. So two years after the birth of Paige, and after a great deal of trying and taking weird fertility enhancers and taking advantage of other medical procedures, Lumi is finally born to Trenton and Qali.
Lumi is sweet and excitable but is also capable of keeping a pretty cool head thanks to her father's genetics, which is a good skill to have when it comes to being picked on by Piper or other mammals at school for being hybrid. On top of that, Lumi's genetics make her early years and adolescence rather awkward in terms of appearance. She's got her mother's extra sleek build but quickly develops her father's height as she grows making her a bit a beanpole...or string bean as her father affectionately calls her. Piper likes to mock her by calling her stickly or stretch, and tends to be especially vicious to her and Paige for being hybrids. She also has poor eyesight, which just adds another aspect for Piper and others to tease about. While Lumi tends to be very cool and calm in the face of teasing, she'll confide in Paige, and especially in her parents when something really gets under her pelt.
Lumi is a Daddy's girl, and even though he sterner than Qali is, Lumi pretty much has her Dad wrapped around her fingers from the day she was born. She's also very much a cuddle bug, and loves hugging and curling up with her parents at every opportunity.
As an adult, Lumi's genetics seem to finally come together in a truly spectacular fashion. With the height of a wolf and the sleekness of a fox she becomes a true beauty, so much so that she becomes a fashion model and designer, as she had always had a bit of a passion for creating outfits and clothes during her pre-teen and teenage years. Her industry name is 'the Kitsune', as her features seem very reminiscent of the ancient legend of 'Kitsune spirits' in Japanda, and she subsequently names her fashion line 'Kitsune'. As an adult, she's considerably more confident and cool, and is even better at dealing with the occasional ribbing from Piper, as well as dishing out clap backs.
Paige and Lumi; BFF's;
With Lumi and Paige both being hybrids, they have an immediate connection that's stronger than the ones they share with their other cousins. They have much of the same struggles and uncertainties to deal with, and their personalities sort of complement one another with Paige being the more of the fighter and Lumi being more of the negotiator. If Paige is going to get into a fistfight with Piper, you can bet Lumi will be the one to pull her off the little otter if the parents aren't close enough to break things up. Also, both sets of parents are more prone to setting up playdates for the pair over the other local cousins due to them both being hybrids and logically, at least to the parents, could do with the solidarity.
The tight friendship maintains into adulthood, although they don't get to see each other as often as they'd like. Lumi's career keeps her extremely busy, and on the move. But that said, every time they manage to reunite in Zootopia, the pair probably revel in each other's company more so than any of the other cousins. One could argue the pair were actually sisters were it not for their drastically different appearances. But considering the menagerie of different species making up the respective Hunter broods, that might not be too much of a stretch for most.
Okay, one more sheet to go.
-Wasty
