Chapter Text
Selena stares at the cardboard box that contained her new baby sister, her heart melting at the squeaks coming from her.
Her parents had been talking about abandoning her, leaving her in the streets for some other ‘unfortunate’ family to take.
She didn’t like it.
In fact she hated the idea so-
She picks her up, holding her close.
The small, hairless lagomorph stopped her crying as she looked up at Selena, curiosity filling her large brown eyes.
Before giggling and grabbing Selena's fluffy cheeks.
Selena grins at her, giggling and nuzzling her with her nose, purring by chattering her teeth that were growing in.
They were sharp for a four-year-old, and she made sure her baby sister’s hands stayed away from her mouth, not wanting to accidentally bite her.
The newborn was small, small for a lagomorph and hadn't grown in her fur, but she would.
Her giggles were sweet and cheerful as she hugged her big sister's face.
Selena giggles.
Her parents didn’t name her new sister, but she didn’t care, she would just name her herself.
“Hola Amanda. Soy Selena, tu hermana mayor.”
The young kit, now dubbed Amanda, laughed cheerfully.
She clung to her sister smiling for the first time since her parents attempted to abandon her.
___________________________
Selena was playing with a now five-year-old Amanda, smiling at her little sister.
"Man, did she get even smaller somehow?" A sneering voice said, the young toddler looking to see her older brother and Selena's twin, Rico.
He always scared her.
Selena glared at him, pulling Amanda closer to her protectively.
“Rico, leave her alone. She did not get smaller.” Selena growls.
The lagomorph only laughed as he roughly ruffled up Selena's hair and fur "Relax Moony I'm just joking!"
As the white and brown lagomorph looked at the small toddler, Amanda quickly hid behind Selena, her naturally floppy ears quickly moving to cover her eyes..
The nine year old hides back a wince at him pulling her fur and her hair, baring her sharp teeth threateningly, grinning maniacally.
“Don’t touch me Rico, do you want a reminder of what I did to you last month?”
Grinning condescendingly, Rico chuckled "Bitin' my ear off is nothing in this family, ya atta know that Moony"
“Keep it up, and it’ll be your arm next. Or your throat, depending how you piss me off. And next time, I’ll take my time doing it.” Selena growls lightly.
She turns to pick up her little sister, holding her protectively.
Rico glared before "She doesn't even have her sharp chompers yet, we got ours way sooner than this."
Amanda hid her face in embarrassment at the comment, rubbing a hand against her jaw self-consciously.
“She’s just a late bloomer, she’ll get them eventually…besides that’s not how I remember it. I remember getting my chompers first, yours took a while.” Selena says, reassuring Amanda, then grinning smugly at Rico.
The twins rolled his eyes "In your dreams, Moony. I got mine quicker than Amanda, she's barely even grown a baby tooth!"
Said kit hid her face with her ears at that, was it really that bad?
“Regardless, she’ll get them eventually.”
Rico snickered, "Maybe she just needs to toughen up, Papí says she's way too emotional for a Gonzalez!"
Selena growls. “She’s a toddler! Papí doesn’t know what the hell he’s talking about.”
She gently rubs Amanda’s fur to comfort the kit.
"He said she cries too much and is too small, she hasn't even used a knife on anything either!" Rico sneered with a wide grin.
Amanda looked away, maybe she should be a bit tougher...or at least pretend to be a little…
“Amanda is perfect the way she is and Papí can go screw himself for thinking otherwise!” Selena exclaims, baring her sharp teeth.
She won’t have anyone insulting her little sister.
The twin rabbity thing crossed his arms "Better not let papí hear that, he might just kick your ass, or maybe if you're lucky he'll kick ya out"
Amanda suddenly clung to Selena "He can't twake S'wena away!"
Selena glared, but she stroked Amanda’s fur, comforting the kit.
“It’s okay lil’ bunny.”
She turns back to Rico, growling- “You say anything to Papí and it’s your funeral.”
___________________________
Amanda woke up with a large yawn and began stepping down to hop off her lumpy bed when-
Snap!
"AHHHHH!!!!"
The kit screeched in pain as metal teeth clamped to her ankle, cutting deep into the skin and sending shock waves of pain through the bone.
Selena wakes up with a startle, looking up at the scream.
Oh no…
She gets out of bed, running to Amanda’s room.
“AMANDA?! WHAT’S-“
She barely misses stepping on another bear trap, but manages to catch herself before stepping on it.
She growled.
“Rico…”
These were his traps.
Oh she’s going to KILL HIM!
The five year old cried in pain "S-S'wena!"
It was all she could yell through the pain and her panic.
Selena looks up to Amanda, fury being put aside as she rushes to her little sister, careful of the traps.
“I’m here lil’ bunny, I’m here.”
The kit winced and whined at the pain "i-it hurts…"
Selena lifts up the kit, careful of the trap.
“I’m right here, I’m going to get the first aid kit and patch your ankle, okay? It’s going to be alright lil’ bunny.”
The child nodded as she sniffled from crying, Selena could help, Selena could fix anything!
Selena carefully leaves the bedroom, going to get the first aid kit for the daily fights or incidents, comforting the kit.
Amanda's crying had subsided a bit as she held her wounded ankle, now only small hiccups being heard.
Selena got the first aid kit, gently lowering the kit so she could start fixing and wrapping the injured ankle.
The rabbity thing whimpered as Selena wrapped and bandaged the wounded ankle with tears in her eyes.
"W-what hwappened?"
Selena sighs. “It was Rico hun, that was one of his traps. He probably did it to be funny…it’s not funny.”
Amanda shakily wiped her eyes "Does Wiko hate me?"
Selena’s heart breaks.
“…I…I’m so sorry hun, you don’t deserve this, you don’t deserve such a bad family, you deserve so much better…”
The young lagomorph doesn't like how Selena avoided her question "Does Wiko hate me? You can twell me…"
“…I’m sorry hun…but it’s not your fault.” Selena says, refusing to actually say those words.
Amanda’s still a baby, she doesn’t deserve this.
She felt herself ready to cry again before speaking again.
"Did-did I do something wrong…?"
Selena widens her eyes, cupping her sister’s cheeks.
“No! No you did NOTHING wrong, alright? Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Rico is just a jerk.”
Amanda wiped her eyes and while she was doubtful, she didn't say it out loud but…
Maybe Rico was right, maybe she just needed to act tougher.
___________________________
Selena was with Amanda, crossing her arms as she glared at the kids whispering about them at a safe distance.
"Sería bueno si ellas fingieran no ser pendejos" Amanda muttered, making a point to speak in her native language.
“Yo sé, pero son celosos de que no pueden hablar dos idiomas.” Selena says, grinning at her sister.
The younger rabbity thing giggled at that, it was their first day at the new school since moving to New York, her parents didn't get her Amy new clothes to wear so Selena let her borrow some of her old clothes, a frilly and poofy orange dress with yellow frills.
And though Amanda's ears were floppy naturally...the young lagomorph now made a habit of always having her ears up and alert.
She was however interrupted from her thoughts from a yell just above a hill under an old tree.
Selena looked up at that, frowning when she spots a pup that looks around Amanda’s age being harassed by other kids.
“L-Leave me alone!” The pup yelps, holding onto his lunch only for a bully to yank it from his hand.
Amanda growled before finding herself running with teeth bared towards the bully who was much bigger than the small pup.
“Aw, look at that, I made the puppy sad! Look at his tail!”
The pup suddenly holds his tail that had previously been between his legs, shaking.
Selena had trailed after Amanda, ready to help her and the pup.
The eight year old suddenly launched herself at the larger student's arm, her teeth were probably the dullest in the family but they still got the job done.
The bully shrieks, trying to yank the lagomorph off him as the pup gasps at the sight.
“GET OFF ME YOU FREAK!!!”
Amanda only bit on harder, most definitely causing the nasty bully to bleed as the sharp teeth delved into the skin.
She was sure to try and scare the bully with some unsettling growling noises.
The bully yanks out Amanda, throwing her on the floor.
“FREAK!”
Suddenly the bully backs into a taller and older lagomorph, her grin manic and wide.
“No.Toques.Mi.Hermana.”
Amanda grinned wide at seeing Selena. That asshole was a goner now.
The asshole paled, dropping the pup’s sandwich, staring warily at the 12 year old’s sharper, teeth.
The other lagomorph’s teeth would have been child’s play compared to the older one.
Selena shoves the asshole down, growling as he scrambled away.
“F-FREAKS!”
Amanda caught the sack lunch the bully dropped and turning to the pup, held the lunch to him "Yours?"
Her English was bad, she's only really spoken what she knows with Selena and their other family members for practice, having a bad accent of pronunciation for the strange language.
The pup nodded taking it.
“Th-Thank you…”
He looks to the older one, the admittingly scarier one.
“Y-You too…”
Selena nods, giving a slight smile.
“De nada.”
Amanda tilted her head before holding out a hand "Amanda, and you?"
“O-Oh, I’m Sam.” The pup introduced himself.
The young lagomorph smiled, pointing towards her sister "This Selena, mi hermana , English is not...our first language."”
“Th-That’s alright! I can understand you, so you’re doing okay!” Sam says, hoping they’ll take it okay.
Selena smiles a bit more gently, seeing the pup meant well.
"Our first day, so not well...liked." Amanda says, a bit self-conscious as she points her head towards the other children.
“Yeah the other kids can be mean…” Sam mumbles.
Amanda looked down hesitantly before "Would you...like to hang around, I mean out?"
Besides Selena, Amanda never had a friend before.
Sam grins. “Yeah! I would like that!”
The small kit smiled wide, a friend.
She walked with the pup as the three of them talked for hours on and.
___________________________
Selena was sitting under a tree outside of the house, sighing.
She needed a break from the house and her family in general.
A ten year old Amanda opened the front door quietly, tugging on her overalls nervously as she walked up to her sister.
"Hey Lena?"
Selena startled, turning before relaxing at the sight of Amanda.
Well, MOST of her family anyways.
“Hey lil’ bunny-“
The fourteen year old notices the nervous look on her sister’s face.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
Amanda let her ears flop slightly as she looked up the taller lagomorph "Can-can we talk?"
Selena frowns but she pats on the ground next to her.
“Of course hun, c’mere.”
The rabbity child sat down next to her, silent for a bit before finally speaking.
"Have you ever felt...weird? About yourself?"
Selena tilts her head, confused.
“I…I’m not sure I understand hun…”
Amanda pulled at her ears "I dunno, its probably dumb but...I don't feel like...a girl…"
Selena widens her eyes before, gently-
“Maybe you could be a boy rather than a girl?”
Amanda perks up at that "I-I can do that?"
“Of course you can! If it makes you happy."
The lagomorph smiled quietly to himself...him...a boy…
It made him happy.
"I-I dunno if I wanna be called Amanda anymore…"
“That’s alright, Amanda’s definitely too much of a girl name.” Selena smiles.
Sure she may have named him, but if her little brother wasn’t comfortable with that name, then he deserves another one…
Actually…
“…How about Max? After our great grandfather?”
He smiled brightly at that, he always looked up to Papá Maximus and loved the stories his great grandmother would tell him
"Max...I like it! It's perfect!" He dived to hug Selena, a bright smile on his face.
Selena hugs him tight, giggling cupping his cheeks.
“Great! I’m glad you love it Cotton!”
Max smiled at the nickname. He always loved it.
Maybe the rest of their family wouldn't take him seriously but as long as Selena stood by him, it should be okay.
Nothing bad can happen as long as Selena was there.
___________________________
Selena walked with Max to the school, he was going to start highschool.
Entering the building, Max grinned wide with his signature bear trap smile as they passed other students.
He'd long ditched the frillier dresses and well, most clothes, he now wore a black leather jacket with faux gold spikes and matching fingerless gloves and black fabric sleeves with his pawed feet sticking out, as well as black metal piercings on his right ear.
At spotting a familiar Irish Wolfhound in a red flannel, Max grinned wider "Hey Sam!"
Sam turns, grinning when he spots the siblings.
“Hey Max! Hey Selena!”
Selena grins.
“Hey Sam!”
Max hugged the chubby canine "Heya ya big doof! Didn't turn into a nerd before I got here, did ya?"
Sam snorts, hugging back. “Not yet Little Buddy! But I see your punk phase just started!”
Selena snorted at that before- “I see you grew out of the Max shirt.”
The rabbity-teen snickered, "I can't help it if I look good!"
The three didn't notice a weasel watching from afar, or how she grinned watching Max laugh and joke with his sister and best friend.