Lonely raven

Subject: Lonely raven Sat Mar 28, 2009 2:31 am

X.General Information.X
Formal Curse: Tok
Means: He does not know; it was the name the ravens bestowed upon him.
Title[s]: The raven summoner
Alias: His name is rather hard to shorten further
Decent: Dark maned wolf
Age: 1 year
Gender: His entire being screams masculinity
Persona: Tok is normally very quiet, and has had little interaction with other wolves. Though he is a bit shy, he feels confident with his friends by his side, and knows that no harm will come to him if they are near. He cares deeply for Tarkah and Selaks, and would do anything to defend them. Since he has never bonded with anyone of his kind, he finds it difficult to view them as 'the same', so he is unsure of how his reactions will be when he meets them. During past social interactions, he found that instinct greatly influenced his actions, and there was little he could do to control it. Fear may make him aggressive, and longing may make him pushy.
Heart: He is of a darker neutral heart
Motto: He does not have a motto as of yet

X.Physical Traits.X
Peltage Hue: His entire pelt is jet black with a healthy sheen to it. He has a pure obsidian mane along the length of his neck, the hairs short enough to stand as a threatening ridge of hackles at will when angry. The fur covering his body is abnormally short, allowing his well-toned muscles to show through and ripple powerfully under his shining coat. His plume is long and bushy. His peltage gives him a similar appearance to that of a horse, although he is very handsome.
Occualr Hue: There is no difference between pupil and iris; the eyes are completely black, making it difficult to tell where he is looking.
Stands: He stands 42" at the tip of his auds
Weighs: 140 lbs
Form: Tok has a very muscular stature, exaggerated by his short pelt which allows the muscle to show through. He has a long, graceful neck and strong, lean legs. The mane along his neck is short enough that it can stand up at will, though normally lies flat, draping over one side of his neck.
Physical Distortions: He does not really look like any other wolf of his kind. He has a genetic mutation that has left him entirely black, and though his legs are longer than a gray wolf's, they do not match the length of his breed's standards. He is also overly heavy for his breed.

X.Family Tree.X
Sire: His father died long before he was born.
Dame: His mother died of starvation just days before he was properly weaned. He only ever knew her as 'mom', therefore a name cannot be given. However, after his birth mother he considers Tarkah and Selaks, the ravens that travel with him, his adoptive parents.
Brothers: None made it.
Sisters: None made it.
Partner: He has had little chance to associate with others, and therefore has never chosen a mate.
Whelps: He is still young, and has not yet been given the opportunity.
Challengers: He knows of none, considering he has never really lived amongst a pack.
Minions: He may summon the ravens at will, as they have lived and relied on each other since the day he was orphaned.
Rank: No pack, no rank.

X.Background.X
Life Story: Tok was born in free lands, although the freedom promised was not as great as his parents had envisioned. With no pack to help, his father perished before he was born, and his mother perished just days before he was properly weaned. His siblings were all dead only weeks after coming into the world. Tok was the only one out of his family to encounter the kindness that the wilderness had to offer. The evening after his mother starved, two ravens came upon him curiously. For a long time they tried fruitlessly to communicatie through words; actions proved much more effective. The two, Tarkah and Selaks, discovered that the pup was alone and hungry, and took to the skies, urging him to follow from below. They showed him to a recently abandoned carcass surrounded by other ravens. The ravens took mercy on him, allowing him to share their scavenged meals so that he might grow and survive.

Through such methods he was able to thrive, and after much difficulty, the wolf cub and the ravens were able to communicate verbally. The ravens were skilled immitaters, and copied the sounds that came from the wolf's mouth, learning their meaning and using them to speak to the adopted pup. Tok knew how to understand them too, although his tongue was not so flexible, nor his voice as colorful. He could not speak their language, though he knew every word and every song inside his heart.

Many ravens helped to keep him alive, though Tarkah and Selaks were the most dedicated. They never left his sight, and he never left theirs either. At the age of 7 months, the two ravens suggested that Tok at last join his own kind. Still, they came with him, never intending to abandon him. He discovered a kind pack, and with them he learned to hunt, though war soon scoured the lands and tore them apart, during which time he left with his feathered friends to safety. He had left with a valuable skill, though; he could hunt, and he could offer this to his friends. His bond grew closer with all of the ravens. They would show him to prey and he would catch it, and they would all feed together. Tok would keep watch for other land-walking scavengers and predators, while the ravens flew high as scouts to watch for hunting birds and large threats like bears. They all cared for each other, helping one another.

Tok still lives alone with Tarkah and Selaks at his shoulders, though as the days pass, he feels the longing for his own kind grow and grow...

Place of Birth: He does not know if the place he was born had a name.

Ooc- I'm not going to post anything right away. I want to know if anyone wants to reply to him. He's a strange character, therefore could make for good plots if anyone's got ideas. Just let me know.

Subject: Re: Lonely raven Sat Mar 28, 2009 11:06 am

(ooc: xD Ooh, this would be fun! I have a character that was bred to kill bears, but was instead raised by them. lawl. I think I may post!)

Subject: Re: Lonely raven Sat Mar 28, 2009 12:56 pm

Name: Anya.
Pronunciation: AHN ya
Meaning: Russian for 'favor, grace.'
Age: One year, three months.
Breed: 76% Karelian Bear Dog x 24% Timber Wolf.
Gender: Female, of course.
Temperament: A brave, independent, good humored, headstrong female, full of courage, vigor and self-confidence. Nature-loving, and close to her 'family', she is a protector of her home and loved ones, and would willingly die to protect anyone that would be in need of her. Loyal, and true, almost fearless due to the creatures she grew up around, she has forgotten her old life on the leash with humans and run free into the wild and lives life to the fullest. Her family, even though they are large beasts, say that Anya is braver than them all and sometimes she does things that are foolish and dangerous, just so she can have her thrills. She isn't often shy, nor too wary of strangers, she's easy to befriend, although there seems to be a hidden pain inside of herself that she cannot explain -- or just isn't willing to do so.
Alignment: A lighter side of neutral.

Physical Description.
Height: 23" inches at her shoulders.
Weight: 40 pounds.
Eyes: A shade of honey-gold.
Fur: Though part wolf, her fur shows no resemblance to her lupine ancestors. Most of her pelt is like that of the bear dog's, short, stiff, but with a soft undercoat. As for coloration, she is a standard ebony and ivory shade, with a white-stained snout and forehead, throat, chest, abdomen, and forelegs.

Family Origins.
Father: She doesn't remember her true father, a dog, but she takes onto a Grizzly Bear, named Kuruk, ,as her father.
Mother: Like her father, she doesn't remember her mother, but she see's another Grizzly, named Alaqua, as her mother.
Siblings: None by blood that she can remember, though Alaqua's recent cubs take to her like a sister, and she does as well. They are named Uzumati, Takoda, and Malila.
Ancestors: She remembers nothing of them.
Mate: She hasn't encountered many of her species to know that she is actually a canine/lupine, for while growing with bears, she comes to think herself as one.
Pups: None, as of yet.

History: Growing up in a wildlife reserve, miles away from her current home, her parents were bred to scare bears away from human's homes, to be brave and fearless dogs that will mount up to any challenge they face. However, while her parents were out with their humans, running off bears, Anya busied herself with playing outside. At the time she was only very small, and just weaned off her mother. Tottering out into the yard, after scrambling through the build-in door for the household cat, she ventured into a trash bash that was lying in the yard. It smelled interesting, so she climbed on in.

However, unaware that there were actually bears around this house, seeing as they were smarter than the humans gave them credit for, they learned to time the humans and their dogs when they left the house. So, a large bear arrived on the scene, and harvest the trash bag, with Anya inside, and carried it out into the woods. As much as Anya should've been afraid, she stayed silent in the bag as she was rattled around. Entering the deep wilderness, the massive beast eventually sat down the bag, and pried it open. To his surprise, there was a puppy inside.

Startled, his first reaction was to kill it, because it was the child of those dogs that run them off so often. However, as Anya was not only in the presence of a male bear, she was in the presence of a female one as well, who was pregnant at the time and nearing her birth. With her hormones fueling her mind, the mother bear took pity on the pup and told her mate, the male bear, not to harm the infant. Testing the pup, the mother bear reached around through the bag of trash with her snout and pulled out a ham bone, and tossed it to Anya's paws. Without hesitation, the pup sniffed the bone and instantly began to pick off the meat, chew it and eat it. This was what the female bear wanted to see; the pup no longer was nursing.

"I'd like her for to stay." Said the female bear, as she glanced to her bewildered mate, who seemed appalled by the idea and snorted. "I wont be feeding it," He growled as he stepped out of the den. Careless of her mates distaste, the massive grizzly bear, Alaqua, took to the care and comforts of this pup, loving it as her own cubs that were born a few weeks later. As of the humans, they just assumed the pup had vanished, and looked for it, long and hard, but never found little Anya, for she was nestled inside the den of two grizzly bears, safe and secure.

------x------

Steady paws and muscles pumped with adrenaline, raced through the forest, galloping rapidly against the dirt and leaves along the woodland floor. With the wind swelling around her, brushing over her face, and body, she felt almost as if she was flying, while she leaped and bounded up and over obstacles and gracefully weaved her way through the trees and shrubbery. This effort was all to evade her pursuer, who was more than three times her size and was pounding the earth heavily behind her as he ran with force and power, snarling and roaring along the trail. Though the other runner wasn't in sight, Anya knew he soon would be.

Panting hard, she put more force into her limbs, straining them with all her might to work faster, pump harder, stretch further. She was as quick as a whip and leaves were spraying the air behind her as she bolted through the terrain. However, as she turned to glance behind her, for just one second, a figure, large and packed with fur, muscles, teeth and talons swept in front of her. Startled, she tripped up, falling flat on her side as she tried to skid into a halt.

Yelping, she darted to the left, evading the attacker, who was now a second chaser, as the first beast that was chasing her rushed to his side and both began to rampage after her. Moving with all her might, she hurried into a grove, where a third monster was standing, to her surprise. "How-?" She said as she began slowing up, which was a very unfortunate mistake. Suddenly, the two titans were on her flanks, and one circled to her side, while the third animal came to cover Anya's front and the second stayed at her flanks. Tensing up, Anya looked up at the third predator and growled. Then, suddenly, she eased up and smile was on her face, and she laughed, "Okay, fine, you guys win."

Suddenly, the grizzly bears, seeming aggressive, eased up as well, and the one at the dog's side used a huge paw to gently pin her. "Hey! I said you win!" Then, the male bear, Uzumati, laughed deeply, "Yeah, but it's kinda fun to rub it in." He said, while looking to the third and last bear that appeared, who was a female, named Malila, that also grinned and sat back on her haunches. "You know we haven't ever been able to catch you until now."

Lying on her side still, Anya barked, "Well, who said I wasn't proud of you guys, my little brothers and sister finally caught up with me!"

The bear who didn't speak, called Takoda, chuckled and sniffed the air, "It's going to be like that from now on, little Anya can't outrun us anymore."

Frowning, in a playful manner, she wriggled out from Uzumati's paw and yipped at the other male, "Hey, you just got lucky!" But, not up for arguing, if that's what it could turn into, the dog smiled and said, "Let's go hunting, I bet you can't beat me to the river!" Laughing, she bolted off past Malila, jetting into the forest in the blink of an eye. Left in a confused daze, the bears exchanged glances and then suddenly took off into the trees after the dog.

Subject: Re: Lonely raven Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:09 am

Dark eyes flashed, head tilting in a bird-like fashion as the mascu surveyed the lands around him, keeping an eye at the same time on the ground below him. Long, obsidian mane shook as he craned his neck this way and that, always alert. His ears stood tall, and he made the best of all of his senses, even those that his feathery friends could not compare with. He looked to the sky, glimpsing a raven, then looked down again. He was following her lead, as he was accustomed to doing. She would show him to food and shelter, and he would hunt for and protect his friends; it was a comfortable little circle of life, and he enjoyed his peaceful wanderings. A second raven rested soundly with beady eyes closed upon his back; he had grown so used to the birds' talons that he did not feel them digging into his skin now.

Tok paused as the edge of a river. He dipped his head down to lap at the water, and murred softly to the bird on his back, waking her to let her know they had come to a suitable resting point. Selaks had barely leapt down from his back when the raven circling above them called out a shriek of alarm. The second bird wasted no time taking to the air to assess the situation. She spotted the bears not far from the very river they had just stopped at, and circled down low to the wolf she considered a son. "Tok, it is not safe!" she cawed, flapping her wings in an ushering movement, "Bears, three of them, are coming. I already see they are not friendly to your kind; they are in pursuit of someone else. We must go, now!" She fluttered hesitantly around Tok before lifting higher, landing upon the branch of a tree. Selaks was going to help him navigate safely through the woods, while the other raven, Tarkah, remained high in the skies to look for danger further in the distance.

But Tok made no movement. The small, agile she-dog had already burst out of the treeline and was heading towards the river. Hardly a few heartbeats behind her were three lumbering grizzlies, roaring with tooth and fang flashing. Pure black eyes widened with alarm. It had been many months since he had seen someone of his own kind, a canine anyways, and he could not pass up this opportunity to help. He pawed the water testily, barking an alert to the dog across the way. "Over here!" he yipped, hackles rising with fear as the bears closed in hastily. His forepaws slapped the water's surface helplessly, anxiety rising in him quickly. She wasn't going to make it, and he was going to witness her death. A flurry of emotions stirred within him; fear, loneliness, longing for his own kind, and despair that his first would-be encounter with someone in months was going to be destroyed by vicious grizzlies. He should turn and flee now, before he had to see it, before they turned on him.

He couldn't move though. It was as though his paws were frozen to the ground, watching unblinkingly as the scene unfolded in front of him. Talons clawed at his back, Selaks screeching for him to move and Tarkah croaking from high above. But he had turned to stone, afraid, consumed by everything he felt. Then his head whipped around, suddenly vicious, protective. "Selaks, Tarkah, you two get to safety!" he demanded, barking and snapping his jaws as his adoptive mother flew back to the treeline. But Selaks did not move, only looked on helplessly, her voice a desperate crackle as she continued to urge Tok to run. Now he looked back, and he narrowed his eyes; something was not right here, something was different...

Subject: Re: Lonely raven Wed Apr 01, 2009 1:14 pm

Filled with excitement, did she run ever faster, whipping her paws at the earth as she broke into a familiar clearing; the river. Though a look of seriousness was upon her face, considering she actually wanted to win this race, there was no fear in the young dog's eyes. However, as she ran, she did not expect what was going to happen next. At first she didn't notice the other canine, across the stream, until he called to her. This was definitely going to make her lose the competition between the huge bears she called little siblings. On a dime, the agile female skidded to a halt, turning her head in the direction in which she had heard a voice call to her. There was another canine, across the river, pawing at it and beckoning her to him. What was he? Her mother always told her to avoid this breed, because they would steal her. Though this was only a mother bear's paranoia, she allowed Anya to believe that her own kind were different, dangerous, and would hurt her. This was only Alaqua's deepest fears; she didn't want to lose Anya, her first cub.

Tilting her head, she eyed the male curiously, taking in his physique as she stood there, with the large bears rumbling in behind her, closing in on her fast. From Tok's eyes, this looked like a terrifying situation, from Anya's point, she was looking at a scared stranger, while her siblings were going to outdo her. Though maybe he needed help. As the bears rushed into the region, they noticed their sister paused before the river, staring across it at another dog. They remember that their mother told them to make sure Anya never went near them; they didn't want to lose their sister either. Out of fierce protection and love her their adoptive sister, the large bears flanked her, and went to the sides of her. The largest male, Uzumati, reared onto his legs, which put him at a massive height as he let out a threatening snarl in Tok's direction. "Scram!" He roared in a guttural voice. "You can't have her!"

Furrowing her brows, Anya looked up at Uzumati, then to the others, then back to her brother and barked. "Stop, stop... It's nothing to worry about. Calm down, maybe he needs help or something. Besides he doesn't even look like me, why would he want me?" She said in a sharp, but hushed voice.

Unsatisfied with this answer, but willing to listen to his older sister, the bear dropped to forepaws, and growled irritably. If he tried anything, that Tok, Uzumati would be the first on him, if his mother didn't find out first. Backing away, Uzumati stayed behind Anya, and his other blood siblings mimicked this movement, and they watched as their brave Anya ventured across the river. Hopefully, the male wouldn't be frightened off, though he seemed a little glued to the floor at the moment anyway. The river was shallow here, and it was only a steady walk through the water until she reached the other side.

Smiling in a friendly manner, her face apologetic for the bears' reactions, she spoke. "I'm sorry about that," She said calmly, a new curiosity coming over her as she looked him over. Though she was made to believe she was a bear, and sometimes felt it, she knew she was different. "Are you alright, did you need help?" It was evident how oblivious to was to how the situation had looked from this male's perspective; three hungry bears running after a smaller dog. It would only be a matter of time til Anya understood that. But for now, she looked on at him with wide, wondrous eyes, her black-and-white mark face tipped to the side with question.

Subject: Re: Lonely raven Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:24 am

Tok watched on in bewilderment as the four across the river, dog included, stopped and looked at him. The bears came to her side, one raising up as though in a defensive manner. His eyes widened, fear driving his hackles higher. He was done for... or so he thought. They hadn't even made any move to attack the female on their side of the river. And then the bear roared at him, and he strained his ears over the sound of moving water. Scram! Tok heard him snarl, and he let his own lips raise defiantly, thick muscle tensing. He had already stayed and there was no escape should they choose to come after him; he was not going anywhere. But the next bit of what the bear roared at him was confusing. You can't have her! He tilted his head quizically, one ear flattening against his skull. What was that supposed to mean? He wasn't hear to steal any 'prey', if that's what they thought. Strangley enough, however, it seemed they weren't here to eat either. In fact they seemed young, siblings still living on the same territory; could it all have been a game? But what was she doing with them?

He watched as the femme quickly discussed something with them in a hushed manner, convincing the young male bear to stand down. Then she moved forward, wading through the river to the bank where he stood. Tok did nothing but blink in confusion, supposing he could do nothing more now but find out some answers. As she came over to him with an apology, eyeing him warily yet curiously, he shook his head, though he had troubles thinking what he was supposed to say. "Oh, no... uhm, don't be sorry," he said awkwardly, his fur ruffling up like feathers on a bird. He cocked his head to examine her, looking sideways at her although his eyes faced forward unlike the ravens. As she asked if he needed help. He gave her a weirded-out look, wondering what made her think that he needed help. Did he look like he needed help? Or did she think that he had been calling her his way because he needed something? That must be it. She seemed oblivious to the fact that he had been trying to 'help' her, all the while she was only sharing a race with the young bears.

"Help? No... I was calling you 'cause, well I thought they..." he trailed off, looking in the direction of the bears, but didn't finish his sentence. Instead he looked back to her. "Do you know them or something?" he asked, tilting his head the other way. Then he nodded, answering his question. "Of course you must know them, otherwise they'd be rip-," he stopped, not wanting to say something offensive about her friends. Afte rall, he had friends of his own that were not his own kind. Suddenly he looked over his shoulder, remembering the ravens that called ceaselessly to him. He made a low, gruff bark/howl, his wolfish version of a raven's deep croak. Selaks silenced and lit from her perch at his call, soaring down towards him though she did not land. Tarkah, from way up high, plumetted towards the earth at a steep drop until she was several meters above, then opened her wings to catch herself and circled above. The two cawed aggressive warnings to the female dog, and then flew just over the river, cawing at the bears that they would peck their eyes out if they came too close.

Tok growled. He wished they weren't so protective at a time like this. It had been so long since he'd had interaction with someone of his own kind, and here they were trying to make threats and perhaps even provoke some sort of attack. He assumed, however, that the dog had some sort of control or reasoning skills with them, and hopefully she would not allow them to harm him. His dark eyes were focused on her again, head tilted as always. "My name's Tok, and those two are Selaks and Tarkah.." he said rather quietly, then swished his tail, "What's yours?" As he waited for her response, he glanced past her again, keeping a nervous eye on the bears. Then he looked back to her quickly. "They're not going to come over here, are they?" he asked, muscle tensing suddenly, an impressive show under his short, revealing pelt, "I really don't want to end up as someone's dinner, or a sleeping mat."

Subject: Re: Lonely raven Thu Apr 02, 2009 2:33 pm

As he began to answer her question, she noticed the assortment of emotions that strayed across the male's face, mostly confusion. So he didn't need help after all? Tilting her head as well, like him, she dropped onto her haunches, thinking how she was going to get to the bottom of whatever misunderstandings where going on between them. Then, as he spoke more, answering her then answering himself, she just smiled in amusement, quickly realizing how the situation might look to another creature. "Oh, right, I suppose it does look weird... To have three bears chasing me." Drawing back her lips, she grinned, and gave a short laugh. How funny, she never really looked at it that way, she had grown up with the bears for so long that sometimes she believed she was one. However, she wasn't that naive.

Bobbing her head gently as she brought it out of it's tilting position, she replied, "Yes, they're my siblings." She said simply, and in an almost matter-of-fact manner. For once it seemed almost awkward to be calling the bears her family in front of another creature that was more closely related to her species. However, she loved the bears all the same, and stood by what she said. "I suppose you're right. bears usually tear up anything, especially things that move." She said in a low voice as she looked over her shoulder, not wanting to offend her 'little' siblings. It was true though, they were less controlled in their nature than she was. However, looking back to the male, she heard him speak his name, and this spiked her interest a little further. "Tok," She said gently, playing back the name to herself before smiling and responding with her own title. "I'm Anya."

Turning, she looked back at the bears, aiming her nose to the smallest, the female, she said, "That's Malila," Beside her, a darker bear, roughly a size bigger than his sister, but smaller than the other brother, Anya said, "That's Takoda." Then, she looked to the bear that had asserted most of his aggression, the biggest in the bunch, "And that's Uzumati." Glancing back to Tok, she smirked, "If you think they're big, you could only imagine our parents." Not realizing that those words might frighten him, although she meant nothing by it. She looked to the skies as the ravens flew past, cawing and screeching at the bears, who snarled and threatened to eat them if the tried anything. Just chuckling at the protective and hostile antics between the two species, Anya looked to Tok replied with some reassurance to him, "Don't worry, I wont let them hurt you." Looking to Tok, a kindness in her eyes that many in this forest didn't possess, she shook her curled tail with interest and said. "I should probably get the large babies back home," She began, reluctantly, not wanting to actually leave, but she added on, "Would you like to come? I'd like to talk to you more, unless you'd rather wait here, or be on your way?"

ooc: sorry, eh... crappy post.

Subject: Re: Lonely raven Mon Apr 27, 2009 3:47 am

Tok gave a small smile as she began to understand why he'd made such a ruckus about this whole situation. He nodded to her; it certainly had seemed like a dire situation, and he'd had no idea that they were merely playing. Until he'd seen them all pause together, of course. He watched her lips draw back into a grin, and his auds perked as she gave a small laugh. It was a nice sound to hear, and so much different than the sound a raven would make when showing amusement. For so long he had tried to oppress the urge to laugh, instead copying the sound his friends made when something had entertained them. He thought his laugh was something unnatural and strange, but now he understood that it was simply common of his species. He allowed a short chuckle to escape him, waving his tail slightly.

He could hear the amusement in her voice, as well as the cautious silence with which she spoke, as she addressed the bears' behaviour of tearing up just about anything. He could have figured they were a little bit savage, and her words just confirmed it. He wouldn't try to say anything that might offend her though; after all, this was the first time in many months that he'd met with anyone of his kind, and he didn't wish to ruin it. As she spoke his name, Tok wagged his bushy tail, smiling as she gave him her own title. "Anya," he said, immitating the way she had tested his name. Then he watched as she gave a point of her snout to each bear in turn, giving them names. He found it strange to think of bears with names, but he didn't say anything, just nodded his head with acknowledgement. She probably though he was a bit abnormal, and probably wasn't used to the idea of ravens for friends either. But none of that seemed to matter much; in a sense, they were similar, choosing to befriend other species and call them family.

Tok felt relief as she said she wouldn't let any harm come to him from her 'little' siblings, but his ears folded back as she told him she had to go. It seemed she was in charge of taking care of them when out of their parent's care. He perked back up though as she asked him to go with her. "That sounds interesting," he said, padding closer, "I'd like to get to know you... been so long since I've met anyone like me." They might have been very physically different, but they shared the same language, and the same specie type. He did not know how long they would know each other for, but right now he just knew he had to get to know her, be around her. Now knowing that he might be traveling nearby the bears, he barked to his guardians, demanding that they stop their unneccessary behaviour. It was best they all got along, for all of their own good. But especially for he and Anya. If they were to be friends, then their families must at least behave around each other.

Ooc- Sorry for taking so long, I've had trouble with my creativity lately, which may be reflected in this post... XD

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