Shiela

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  Uri could hear the argument raging in the marketplace before he even got close.   "You can't just take Shiela! She's my property!" Zarkanon screamed.   Uri's brother, Rafi replied with disgust, "She's not a piece of property. She's a living being."   "Do you have any idea what people pay to see her dance?!" Zarkanon demanded.   Rafi was beginning to lose what little patience he had left. "I don't care! She's clearly miserable. Didn't it ever occur to you that she would be lonely here all by herself?"   "Well, I couldn't very well get her a mate, now could I? You know how prolific her species is. Your whole starbase would be hip deep in babies by now!"   "Enough!" Rafi roared. "I'm sending Shiela home to Kataan and that's the end of it."   Zarkanon's retort died in his throat as Uri sauntered up next to his brother and calmly asked, "Is there a problem here?"   "No. No problem." Zarkanon stammered.   Uri gave him his most menacing look. "Good. Now shut up and go tend to your business before I throw you, and your whole traveling side show, off our starbase for good."   Rafi just sighed as Zarkanon slunk away. "Thanks for the assist."   "Any time. That was fun." Uri chuckled, but his smile disappeared when he reached over to help his brother with Shiela's enclosure and found himself face to face with her little nose pressed up against the glass and her sad round eyes looking up at him like he was her hero. "Thanks a lot, Rafi. I may never be able to enjoy another bowl of sautéed grounder again!"  

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Personal History

  Shiela the shrieking grounder became a minor celebrity at the Crossroads as a part of Zarkanon's traveling side show when the show was passing through there. A small amphibious creature with sharp claws and teeth, she began her life, as all grounders do, on the world of Kataan. Somehow, she managed to avoid ending up in a bowl of sautéed grounder and found employment in Zarkanon's show where she danced twice nightly to the absolute delight of her adoring fans.   It was great fun at first, but then Shiela began to feel lonely. You see, shrieking grounders are meant to live in colonies, and Shiela was the only one of her kind in Zarkanon's show. Her loneliness made her so sad that she couldn't bring herself to dance anymore. She just laid in the mud in her glass enclosure and moped.   Then one day, there was a lot of shouting and Shiela was ecstatic to learn that two of the Arcgelen brothers who owned the Crossroads had come to her rescue. She would be going home on the next transport bound for Kataan.   Sure, there were times when Shiela missed her glamorous career as a dancer, but when she got home, she found a mate. They settled down in their underground tunnels to start a family together and Shiela the shrieking grounder lived happily ever after.  

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Special Abilities

  Shiela was an accomplished dancer. Whenever she would feel the vibration of the music coursing through the mud in her glass enclosure, she would twist and turn and boogie to the beat.  

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Likes & Dislikes

  When not performing, Shiela enjoyed burrowing in mud and devouring ripe fruits and leafy greens. Shiela hated when people tapped on the glass of her enclosure to get her attention and would emit ear-piercing shrieks to express her displeasure.  

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Social Aptitude

  Shiela was not particularly social with anyone outside of her own species. On several occasions, she had been known to bite and scratch anyone who got too close.