Who are Sahmay and Buthaynah?

I, over the last few months, wrote in this blog about my novel series, Diaries of Darkwana. I introduced you to some of the major characters in Book One: Daughters of Darkwana.

I would now like to introduce you to the protagonist’s support cast, the members of the Zenko Clan, of which you already met Colleen.

All members of the Zenko Clan exist as kitsune full breeds. I welcome you, if none of that made sense, to review previous posts at this blog.

I begin today with Sahmay (Sa-may), the clan’s den mother.

Ara (Air-ra), the Zenko Clan’s previous den mother, decided, once the Great War started between the Counsel of Kitsune Clans and the Merchants of Chaos, to make her clan’s home, the Burrow, a sanctuary for kitsune children (kits).

The Burrow sits in a swamp.

Ara, before she left for the battlefield (where she died), appointed her daughter, Sahmay to act as the Zenko Clan’s new den mother.

Sahmay hated that she wouldn’t take part in the war. She hated the task of the babysitter. However, she soon grew protective of her charges.

Once Vasuki won his war and nearly wiped all adult kitsunes from existence, the children sheltered within the Burrow plotted their own attack. Sahmay managed to convince precious few of them not to march to their deaths.

The children’s short-lived offensive resulted in the near extinction of the kitsune race.

Daughters of Darkwana exists as a story about guilt. Nearly every character, even the antagonist, deals with some source of guilt, and copes with it differently.

Sahmay, when we first meet her in Daughters, still serves as the Zenko Clan’s den mother, though she watches over only the tiny population of kitsunes left on Darkwana.

Guilt that she failed to protect the children under her care haunts her. She stands ready to fight fang and talon to protect what few members of her clan (her species) remain.

She grows overprotective of her charges, which, as adults, resent her for it.

Although she once practiced opera for hours, she no longer bothers, too determined to strengthen her skills as a protector.

However, she possesses no clue how to wield kitsune magic. She knows not a single spell and can thus pass no such knowledge to her charges.

She possesses only a single tail and knows not how to grow more.

Sahmay holds a talent for summoning strings, a subject for another post.

She stands distrustful of outsiders. She speaks curtly.

She possesses yellow fur and often wears a kimono.

Her blue eyes glow as molten sapphires.

Her homosexuality never surfaces in Daughters, simply because a reason to mention it fails to arrive. However, in Book Two, Dreamers of Darkwana, her sexuality applies.

I would rather not speak too much, at this early point, of Sahmay’s experiences in Dreamers, so let’s continue to the next member of Daughter’s supportive cast.

Buthaynah (Boo-thane-yah) remains my favorite character out of the entire series. I often exercise little control over her.

Buthaynah, a purple-furred member of the Zenko Clan, can shape-shift, yet despite her love of mischief, she rarely uses this ability to deceive anyone. Buthaynah stands frank, herself at all times.

It interests me that my shape-shifter goes through little change. She inspires change, but rarely changes, herself.

Buthaynah possesses brown, almond-shaped eyes, often wears yellow shorts and a matching shirt, as well as an armguard that conceals a pair of spring-loaded, curved blades.

She drinks, smokes cigars, and eventually discovers a love for gambling. She behaves in reckless fashion.

While most kitsunes speak in a majestic fashion that befits a mythical creature, Buthaynah’s vocabulary includes such hits as, “Twat Waffle,” “Douche Nozzle,” and “Ass-hattery.”

Sahmay serves as my Leonardo.

Buthaynah, my Michelangelo.

I shall, next week, introduce two more members of my protagonist’s (Wally Cook’s) supportive cast in Daughters of Darkwana (available on Kindle).

I shall introduce you to Alma and Adiba. See you then.

Thanks for reading.

Daughters of Darkwana received a sweet, succinct review, which you can read here, http://www.thebookeaters.co.uk/daughters-of-darkwana-by-martin-wolt-jr/

         Also, the third book in my series, Diaries of Darkwana, will hit Kindle just as soon as I find a new cover artist. I have a few candidates already, thank goodness.

Movie reviews at moviesmartinwolt.blogspot.com

Short stories at martinwolt.blogspot.com

A look at the politics of the entertainment world at EntertainmentMicroscope.blogspot.com.

An inside look at my novels (such as Daughters of Darkwana, which you can now find on Kindle) at Darkwana.blogspot.com

Tips to improve your fiction at FictionFormula.blogspot.com