Name: Dana Halabi
Gender: Female
Age: 22
History:
Dana is the Merry Circus’ “Queen of Jungle Cats” and one of its star attractions. In reality, Dana is an Egyptian born were-cheetah. Dana was a child of the street of Alexandria, Egypt and besides her first name, never knew who here parents were. Dana would eventually stow away on a cargo freighter from the port to escape a local gang war, and wound up in Marseilles, France.
A local Corsican crime syndicate found her on the docks and she would have sold into white slavery or wise had the man she would call “Uncle Marcel” not intervened. Marcel Halabi, a former Lebanese Christian, was an up and coming figure in the Marseilles underworld. To show off his power, he wanted a special girl of his own. Even at 16 Dana was very beautiful, but she was also headstrong, tough, and stubborn. At first, Dana tried to escape. But Marcel had dealt with others of her kind before, and armed his men with guns loaded with silver bullets.
Eventually, the two struck a deal. In return for “services,” Dana would be made into a proper lady. Uncle Marcel brought in tutors who taught the street girl how to speak, read and write in French, and English, and even in Arabic. Other than that, Dana’s education was kept basic. Instead she learned more useful skills, such as how to act, how to eat with a fork and knife, how to dress, how to “perform” in bed, how to tend bar, how to drive, and even how to handle a gun.
After five years, Uncle Marcel had climbed to the top of the Marseilles underworld, and got his dream girl. In that time, the relationship had changed significantly. While still a trophy and occasional sex toy, Marcel respected Dana’s business sense and began to teach her about the drug trade. Alas, all good things must end. Uncle Marcel was gunned down in a hit organized from within his own gang. Dana knew she was next, and decided to flee once again. Taking cash and a few clothes, Dana traveled north to Caen, where she was able to bribe a ship captain to give her passage to the United States, the land of wealth and freedom. Dana landed in Elizabeth, New Jersey a few days later and soon learned that not having the proper documentation in hand was going to make it very difficult for her to gain the wealth and freedom she desired. Going back to the old job as an escort also didn’t appeal to her. She needed somebody to hire her with no questions asked.
It was some kind of strange tug that brought Dana to the Merry Circus. As she approached the camp, she quickly saw tigers, lions and leopards all locked in cages and looking terrible. Her heart sank. But what could she do? She was in luck, for the last lion tamer had just quit after almost being mauled by Ashanti, a huge Bengal tigress who went “on strike.” The circus was desperate for a new lion tamer for their six big cats. Of course those don’t grow on trees. Dana knew she had a knack for talking to or controlling cats. Gathering up some courage, Dana approached the circus’ owner and offered him a deal. If Dana could get Ashanti to calm down and perform again, he would make her the circus’ new animal tamer.
The owner agreed to giver her a chance, if only to get Dana to stop bothering him. Dana boldly approached the cage and spoke a few hushed words to the tigress. She then opened the cage door, and stepped inside without Ashanti lifting a paw. Though it took a few minutes for her new boss to recover from his near heart attack, he hired on the spot. Dana soon put a stop to the abuse the cats suffered by circus staff, and does what she can to comfort the cats, even secretly climbing into their cages to lie with them at night. They have become her new family. Dana desperately wants the cats to be freed unharmed but she has no idea how to do so or what to do if she could free them. It’s a dilemma that eats at her every day. She will never leave the circus cats, and has become just as trapped as they are.
To cope, Dana often sneaks off to sample the local nightlife. She usually returns in the morning smelling of alcohol, (but is never drunk), tobacco, and looking like she spent the night in somebody else’s bed. The owner of the Merry Circus calls Dana a “wild one,” when he is in a charitable mood and worse when he is not. Dana’s trysts often causes trouble and occasional visits by the local polices. But as long as she continues to bring in big crowds, the circus’ owner will do nothing.
Personality:
Headstrong, stubborn, rebellious, caring, fearless, independent, reckless, and sultry.
Dana LOVES the attention she gets from her act.
She is extremely protective of the big cats, and anyone harming them will answer to her.
She also gets a real kick out of being an object of desire.
Dana has killed people before, but will do so but only if it is absolutely necessary.She does not want to become a murder suspect.
Appearance:
Heigh: 5’9”
Weight 124 lbs
Eyes: Hazel
Hair: dark brown worn shoulder length
Is clearly of Arab descent with tanned olive-white skin. Her English is accented by both French and Arabic. Dana is very beautiful, and has a high level of sex appeal to men. And she knows how to use it. For example, Dana's usual lion tamer outfit consists of a black top hat, a black coat with tails, fishnet stockings, knee high boots, and not much else. Dana covers this up with a robe before going out to perform. When she is not performing, Dana can usually be found in jeans, practical shoes, a shirt and sweater.
Powers:
Enhanced Strength, Durability, Agility and Speed. Has an extremely high tolerance for poisons (such as alcohol), and is not affected by low-level infections like colds
Can regenerate wounds unless it was committed with a silvered weapon or bullet.
Her eyesight, hearing and sense of smell are enhanced to feline levels.
She is extremely stealthy and has the instincts of a predator.
Can communicate and command cats of all sorts
Dana can transform into the following forms: a female African Cheetah, a hybrid bipedal cheetah/human, or a small domestic tabby cat. She retains her personality, memories, and knowledge during the transformation.