Maru

Maru (マル) is the wife of Rog and the mother of El.

Appearance
Maru is a rabbit-like mammalian member of beastkind. Her most notable features are her large, rounded, floppy ears that hang down past her shoulders and her red eyes with vertical slit pupils. She also has pink fur and black paw pads on her hands. She dresses in a white and red top with a long a-line purple skirt. She also wears a white apron over her skirt and an off white scarf around her neck.

Personality
Maru loves and cares for El, and does everything that she can to protect him. After hearing that Ozmargo might be invaded, she immediately heads to the palace with Rog to find out if the kingdom is still safe. Later on, when Sorting Unit officers take El away from her, she tries to push past them to get him back. She also takes her son with her when she and Rog leave their village to find somewhere safer to live.

Like most beastkind, she is initially fearful of humans and hyenafolk. However, she learns to be less afraid of them after El is rescued by Sariphi and Lante.

Plot
One day, Maru and Rog take El to work at a bakery on the main avenue of the capital. Maru holds El in her arms as she works hard to sell baked goods to customers shopping on the main avenue. While Maru is working, a disguised Sariphi and Leonhart buy bread from her. Later that day, Maru and Rog over hear Bolas's mother yelling at Sariphi. Maru carries El as her and Rog leave their bakery to find out what is happening. They see that Sariphi's disguise has fallen off, and they discover that she is human. Maru is upset by this and makes a comment about how Sariphi was just at her bakery.

Some time later, Maru and Rog let El play in the street outside of the bakery on the main avenue of the capital. While they are working, El tells them that there is a Holy Beast flying around. Maru tells El that he is mistaken because Holy Beasts can only be seen during festivals. She admonishes him for making up stories.

On the day of the Great Sacred Festival, Maru carries El as she and Rog go to the palace to see the king. When Leonhart finishes his speech, Maru cheers for him.

Later on, Maru and Rog hear a rumor that the kingdom is being invaded by someone who claims to be the King of Wolves. They travel with El to the palace to find out if the rumors are true. Maru holds a sleeping El in her arms as she and Rog wait outside the palace. Maru and Rog demand to know if the capital is still a safe place.

Some time later, Leonhart holds an official ceremony to announce his intentions to conduct negotations with Yoana. During his anouncement it is revealed that he is half human, and he flees the capital of Ozmargo with Sariphi. Set immediately declares Leonhart an enemy to beastkind and takes over the kingdom.

One of Set's first acts as acting king is to sort all of beastkind by species. A 'Sorting Unit' is dispatched to Maru's village. An officer in the Sorting Unit notices that Maru and El are different species, and immediately takes her son away from him. The officer explains that Maru will no longer be able to care for El since they are different species. Maru objects to this, and she tries to get her son back. However, the officers are able to keep them apart from each other.

El becomes upset and kicks the officer that is holding him. This causes the officer to drop El. The officer becomes angry with El and tries to attack him.

Sariphi notices that the Sorting Unit officer is about to hit El, and she runs over to protect El from being hit by the officer. Sariphi holds El as she admonishes the officers for their actions. The officers try to attack Sariphi, but Lante shows up just in time to protect her. Lante is able to defeat the officers in the town square.

In fear of what Sariphi and Lante might do to El, Maru runs over, yanks El from Sariphi's arms, and tries to protect El from them. Lante yells at Maru for being rude to someone who just tried to save her son, but Sariphi insists that it's fine. As Sariphi and Lante leave the village, El tries to say something to Sariphi. However, Maru takes him away.

Soon after, Maru and Rog decide to leave their village in search of somewhere safer. Maru carries El as they travel down a mountain path. While they are traveling, they come across Ocelot and some knights of the Maskviana Exorcistic Order. The knights offer to help them find a safer home. As Maru, Rog, and El are heading towards the knights, an officer from the Sorting Unit attempts to stop them by attacking them. They are saved by Ilya. El thanks Ilya for his help, and Maru and Rog bow at Ilya in thanks.

A few days later, Maru travels with Rog and El to the palace to hear the king speak. Maru holds El as she and Rog stand in the crowd outside the palace. Leonhart announces his intentions to create a kingdom where no one is discriminated against by species or origin and to protect Ozmargo with Sariphi ruling at his side. When Sariphi comes out of the palace, El tells Maru that Sariphi is the same person who protected him from the Sorting Unit officer. Maru cheers for Leonhart and Sariphi.

Rog
Rog is Maru's husband. They work together in a bakery on the main avenue of the capital. They also frequently travel to the palace together to hear Leonhart speak to the public. Maru cares for Rog, and chooses to leave with him when their village is threatened by officers from the Sorting Unit.

El
El is Maru's son. Maru frequently holds El in her arms when they are traveling or standing in front of the palace. She will even hold him while he sleeps in her arms.

Maru cares deeply for her son and does everything she can to protect him. When El is taken from her by a Sorting Unit officer, Maru tries to push past other officers to get to her son. After they are reunited, Maru carries El out of their village to find somewhere more safe for them.

Sariphi
Maru is initially very fearful of Sariphi because Sariphi is human. However, Sariphi's kindness helps Maru to accept Sariphi as the next queen of Ozmargo.

Quotes

 * (to Sorting Unit Member) "Give back my baby!!" (Chapter 79)
 * (scared about her son's safely) "Nooo!!" (Chapter 79)

Trivia

 * Maru appears more often in the anime than in the manga.
 * In the anime, Maru works at a bakery on the main avenue of the capital. However, in the manga, Maru lives in a town far outside the capital.
 * Rog's frogfolk genes are stronger than Maru's mammalian beastkind genes.

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マル มารุ