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 Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 1:17 am
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 1:18 am
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXThe HumanXX  Name: John "Jack" Knight Gender: MaleAge: 37Birthdate: March 3 Patrol: New EveRank: PrivateApprentice: NoneAppearance: Jack has alert, but somewhat weary gray eyes and thick salt and pepper hair combed neatly. He is naturally physically fit from many years of being a wolf rider and holds himself upright in and with an air of pride and authority. He is five feet and nine inches tall. He has many scars on his face, limbs, and torso from past injuries. His skin is a medium tan color from spending a good amount of time in the sun. He has the build of a bull and the near inhuman strength to match. Jack's chin is covered in seemingly permanent five o'clock shadow stubble.Personality: Jack is generally very formal, especially to the Captain and Lieutenant, but he isn't incapable of kicking back a few beers with fellow riders in the Hall. He is happy to make new friends and to knock down the unjustly proud a few notches. He looks at everyone in a paternal way, even if he wants to kick them around sometimes. Often times, he would very much like to bend a private over his knee and give them a good whooping, but realizing his rank, he only does that to the willing now. Generally, he doesn't get requests for that sort of thing (nor would he oblige were the request coming from anyone who lacked mammaries), but when someone comes complaining to him, he won't hesitate to give them a stern talking to. Jack has experienced a lot in his life and he has made it his self-appointed duty to give all privates a big slice of humble pie. His sense of humor is dry, though he does mean well and he may come across as a grouch to those who don't stick around to get to know him. Jack is a terrible liar, but he has never been given any reason not to tell the truth, so he may be considered blunt. He considers himself to be painfully honest.History: Jack had been at the Academy since he turned twelve. As a child, from the moment he'd learned about those valiant wolf riders, he just knew that he had to be a part of it. He spent most of his childhood until he turned twelve watching as each wave of new recruits was collected each year, waiting impatiently for the time that he would be able to go. From the day after his twelfth birthday on until his eighteenth, Jack trained as hard as he could, strengthening both body and mind to prepare for the bonding that he just knew would happen. Then it came, the first day that he had been brought to the cave with the rest of the recruits watching as a litter of two mached outside. He almost couldn't contain his excitement as he watched a pretty black and orange female looking around for someone. The brother, a white and black wolf had bonded right away and with the first recruit in line, no less. The second searched around for a while, looked briefly in his direction, and then turned away to bond with someone else.
It was unfortunate and that was the time when he first began to consider the fact that he may not bond. He had built his entire life around this one activity. There was no way that he wouldn't. Jack tried to keep a positive attitude, but he didn't bond at eighteen, nor at nineteen. Until the day before his twenty-first birthday, he hadn't bonded at all. The next day, he would have been carted back home to find some other way to make a living. On this fated day, a large Alpha litter was bonding. Jack stood before the caves, nerve-wracked, but more determined than ever to bond. This was his last chance, after all. He eyed each wolf that exited, trying to isolate any feeling in his mind that might be a wolf trying to bond with him or even searching around. After the third and fourth wolves exited, he felt it! There was definitely something going on in his head and he looked around to see which wolf it was.
A highly decorated black and gray wolf approached him happily. As a matter of fact, he was running. He was running fast. In a second, he was on the ground, shoulders being nearly crushed by two giant wolf paws. Even while in pain, Jack was overwhelmed with happiness. He had finally bonded and this was his wolf. This was his bonded. Aerospark.
Their patron was an deceivingly attractive woman with a heart of ice. The type of practices that she would have them do often times involved target practice in harsh weather with a barely visible target. She worked Jack to the bone, at least, in a way that rivaled the Drill Sergeant of those days. Any given day, he was running laps, holding his rifle and any extra weight that the woman would saddle him with. Jack would practice shooting while running, climbing, doing make-shift obstacle courses. It was really tough at first, but he became accustomed to it. After all, this wasn't anything compared to what the centipedes would be like. The things decimated anything they touched. This was just preparation for the day when he would be able to participate in his first battle and when he rode onto the field that day, he had no idea how terrible it would be.
In that fateful battle, his patron and her wolf were killed. Sometimes he'd hated the woman, but he always appreciated what she had done for him. She took valuable time out of her day to teach him. She had set up every practice that he'd done by herself, and when the burden of being a patron wasn't on her shoulders, that woman had been amazing. She was beautiful, talented, and looking back, she could have been his first love. Granted, it was just a crush if anything, but not a day went by for the first year after her death that he didn't think about what might have been. Aerospark had made it difficult enough. The wolf was devastated at the loss of his patron. He didn't eat, didn't sleep, wouldn't let anyone into his den, a place that he wouldn't venture from.
Then one day, the wolf just snapped out of it. Jack was never told what exactly had happened, but Aero was filled with a new determination that he had never seen. Even when they weren't being drilled, the two trained every day. No battle after that had ever been so devastating. No one had died for at least two years after that and for the next seven, very few had. Around the forts, people were regarding it as a miracle. Neither Jack nor Aero could take full responsibility for it, but it was wonderful just the same. Rumors were even going around about building a new fort for all of the new pups that were being born. If only they had known what would happen in less than a decade.
At the age of thirty, Jack was sent back to the Academy to become the Drill Sergeant. The previous Drill Sergeant had reached the age of retirement and that year's Captain had assigned the duty to him. Although he was considerably less than happy about the move, he didn't argue. He didn't need latrine duty on top of moving preparations. Again, Aerospark was devastated, taking out most all of his anger about the situation on Jack. It didn't do anything to help their situation. It took something damn close to a fight to the death to bring Aero back to his senses.
Jack remained the Drill Sergeant for another five years, teaching each recruit the same way that his Patron had him, but improved. They had the right equipment here. It seemed like every recruit from that five year period he had been the Drill Sergeant hated his guts, but these were the miracle recruits that he could take full responsibility for and those that came of age then couldn't have done so at any better time. Jack didn't receive word from the Forts often, so not hearing from them for a while hadn't concerned him. The first message that he received after that long time without was concerning. A new species of centipede had emerged. The winter before had been bad enough with many dying from starvation and pneumonia. With the coming of this new species also came a new sickness, virtually wiping out every commanding officer there, along with even more privates and wolves. With a vaccine developed and all of those infected dead, they needed more apprentices as quickly as possible.
Sooner than usual, Jack led the recruits to the cave, bringing recruits as young as sixteen there, though curiously, none under eighteen had bonded. It couldn't hurt to be safe. Though pups were scarce, the new apprentices that ventured to the forts were exceptionally good. He was sure of it. Jack had faith in the students that he taught. Not long after the last pups were bonded, Jack received another letter. They wanted him over there as well. Anyone could teach the academy students and drill them, it said. Riders were needed at the forts. Not having received word about who had died from the plague, he and Aerospark had held out some hope that their family and friends hadn't been affected.
Jack returned to find many of his friends dead. For the next year and a half, he adjusted to fort life once again. He was convinced that the only reason he and Aerospark had been spared was because the Captain had sent him to become the Drill Sergeant. As guilty as he felt about living while so many had died, he paid his last tribute to his Captain. He owed his life to this person and for that, he would be eternally grateful.Posting Color: Cadet BlueRelations Rhosandria Riddle - Ex wife. I hope the withered old crone chokes on a sausage.Clyde Stryder - Previous Apprentice. He's a good kid, but he's in dangerous territory.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 1:31 am
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXThe WolfXX Name: AerosparkGender: MaleAge: 16Birthdate: Early WinterPatrol: New EveRank: GammaAppearance: Aerospark is mostly black, but with gray markings on his feet, tail, muzzle, and chest, as well as some gray designs on his back, neck, and shoulders. He is 17hh tall, though he still jokes around that he hopes to grow a little more so that he can claim a bit of authority for himself. The insides of his ears are also gray, as well as his claws. He has gray eyes too, making for a fairly dull color combination, but with some very interesting designs.Personality: Aero's only want is to help people, whether those people are humans or other wolves. If asked, or if he deems it necessary, he might give a few pointers to struggling adolescents or, after assuring their bonded wolves that he means no harm, give privates or apprentices a slight nudge in the right direction. Either that, or he will advise the other wolf to pass on a few pointers to his or her rider. It is very difficult to offend him, though when someone pushes his buttons far enough, he will kindly bite their head off. Of course, that's only in the most extreme of situations. He generally thinkss that enemies aren't worth making in such a dangerous profession. If they die, whether due to an accident or their own faulty actions, it would only serve to make one guilty. Even at his current age, Aerospark is very playful.History: Aero was part of a large Alpha litter of six pups. He had little curiosity about what went on outside of the caves because he very much enjoyed the company of his mother and siblings. They would spend their time play fighting, actually fighting, and just general playing around. Although his memory of that time has diminished with age, he still remembers it as one of the happiest times of his life. When it came time to bond, he was reluctant to leave his family, although there was some understanding that they were going to stay near by. He exited the cave at the same time as one of his sisters (as the third and fourth to exit), a pretty blue, gray, and black female who bonded almost immediately. It didn't take Aero long to bond either, finding an equally playful, likely somewhat naive mind that he liked.
At first, it was as if he didn't understand that humans weren't okay to play around with in the same manner as he would with his littermates and other adolescents. Many a time, Aerospark had sent Jack to the infirmary for relatively minor cuts, bruises, and scrapes as a result. Later on, however, when he learned the meaning of the words 'stop' and 'ouch', he grew out of it. With the understanding that he was much stronger than his poor rider, however, Aero would often sneak up on his rider and play tricks on him for a little sport.
Jack and Aerospark got along well from the start, though that was more a source of physical pain on Jack's part than anything else. The wolf of their patron was fairly lenient. When the woman sent the two off to train elsewhere, the male wolf did not use the woman's harsh training practices. Sometimes they would hunt around in the snow for small rodents, rabbits, and the like. There were playful games of tag which strengthened Aero's legs and increased his speed. There was play fighting also, where the wolf would teach Aero different techniques of fighting. The time flew for Aero and this part of his life was also quite happy.
Time passed. The next winter came and went, and then came his first battle as a full-fledged Gamma. Aero had grown from an adolescent to a good 17hh. He was nervous, excited, pumping with adrenaline, and waiting for his chance to prove himself. In that unfortunate battle, that woman and her wolf were killed. Although the centipedes were defeated, the reality of battles settled in. It wasn't all fun and games. It was the first time that real saddness had come onto Aerospark's radar and he didn't know how to cope. He was angry, depressed, horrified, and for the first time, he didn't want to play. He couldn't. Aero found himself dreading battles, dreading the day that his siblings and family would fall to these creatures. It took him a long time to get over it.
Although he wanted to hold tightly to those he loved, he found himself neglecting them, saying hurtful things, and staying in his den. He refused food, water, and any company. After this had gone on for a few days, his late patron came to him. Whether it was a dream, hallucination, or his patron's ghost, it gave him hope, determination. Aerospark could protect them, fight for them. Hiding himself away in his den, useless, only made it more likely that they would be killed. Up until they moved to the Academy so that Jack could serve as the Drill Sergeant, no more of his friends and kin had died. He was happy again.
The move had irritated Aero to no end. If he was here, how could he protect them? He hated Jack for accepting the job, for not fighting against this unjust action. Where before, the two were inseparable, Aero felt himself wanting to rip the man's throat out. It was Jack that finally knocked some sense back into him. The two had finally come to fighting, really fighting. It wouldn't have taken much for Aero to kill him, a flick of the wrist, clenching his jaw down just enough. The possibilities were endless. Jack hadn't wanted to fight, hadn't liked the idea one bit. Self preservation would have given anyone else the same idea. Perhaps it was that that made him hold back, giving the man an extra second to escape before each next move. He was furious, but in the back of his mind, he knew that this man was more of a friend than those he wanted to protect back at the fort. Jack knew him better than anyone and Jack's words just as Aero was about to deliver the final blow reminded him of that.
They were training a new generation of wolf riders, training them so that one day, there would be no fear of death on the battlefield. Eventually, maybe they could be just skilled enough that no one had to die. For five years, that had been their goal. Then Jack received word from the Forts of the biggest catastrophe to hit since the first centipede attack. Aerospark held out some hope that his family and friends hadn't been affected, but upon returning, he found that his entire family had died.
Aerospark felt a new resentment for the previous Captain, now stronger than ever. Aero was convinced that had he been there, no one would have died. If he had been able to protect them, then this wouldn't have happened. But, really, he couldn't blame the Captain for the sickness, for the disease. He found himself furious, but with no one to be furious at. Anyone he might have blamed for this was dead and with this came a new realization. It couldn't have been helped, as horrifying as it was and though for a long time he would be mourning their loss, dwelling on the past only hindered progression to the future. He would make it his job now to advise those who sought it and always be there for those that needed help, whether in battle or simply with their own personal loss. No one needed to feel as alone as he had when Aero had experienced his first tragedy. Posting Color: Light Slate Gray
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Posted: Mon Apr 19, 2010 9:13 pm
XXXXXTimelineXXXXX JackBirth-12: In the City
12-20: In the Academy
20-30: In New Eve
30-35: Working as the Drill Sergeant.
35-Present: In New Eve AerosparkBirth-3 months: In the caves
3 months-1 year: An adolescent
1-10: Gamma in New Eve
10-15: Working with Jack in the Academy
15-Present: Gamma in New Eve
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