Persephone ; Daciapack

[persephone]

Name: Persephone [ per - sef - uh - nee ]
Clan: Daciapack
Age: 36 months [3 years]
Gender: Female
Desired Position: Leader
Picture: i23.tinypic.com/23llfky.png
Short Description: tall and lean beige sighthound female with brown eyes
Breed(required for dogs):

Sloughi

Appearance:

Persephone is definitely a tall hound. This is because of her long legs, which give her extra distance on each stride and extra height that sets her above other dogs - she's about 27 inches tall. She has a long, constantly waving tail. Her muzzle is long like the rest of her body, her ears floppy. She has narrow shoulders but most of her muscle is located around her fore and back haunches to help her run. Usually, Persephone gives the illusion of being underfed. She eats as much as she can but has an extremely high metabolism so she doesn't seem to gain weight. She looks gaunt, skeletal, just unhealthy during the winter season when food is a lot more scarce. Most other dogs brushing up against her will feel every protruding rib.

Persephone's eyes are deep, dark brown. They're liquid in texture, a beautiful mahogany. A reddish sheen cuts through them in the right light. The quality in them can either be warm, icy, or sad, depending on her constantly-changing mood. Persephone has a short, beige coat. She has a very smooth pelt of the solid color. Her ears are a little bit darker than the rest of her, and her snout is black. The dark color stretches up around her brown eyes. Although pretty, Persephone is coated with the scars of battles. Because of her thin frame, she's knocked around a lot and has had several minor fractures in her ribs and even one in a foreleg. Her shoulders have several dull scars running across them, and her right ear is tattered slightly.

Personality:

Persephone seems to embody the coldnes of frost. While amiable in public, she can become very distant when locked in conversation, usually seen staring out into space absentmindedly. She is extremely observant even if she doesn't look like she's paying attention to anything. She is fairly sparing of her words if her mind is elsewhere, usually giving the impression that she doesn't like the person she's talking to. She is also very suspicious of others, which makes it harder for her to befriend anyone without being cautious. Some take it as shyness, but this leader is extremely fierce and may kill in a second.

Persephone is slow to make friends, quick to make enemies, and even quicker to carry a grudge forever. She does not take arguments or threats lightly; her memory is wonderful. She can have one of two demeanors overall in relationships: cold, hateful, and quicktempered, or friendly and calm if a little wary. This usually depends on her mood; it can change in a heartbeat, making her unpredictable and - as some would say - unstable. She's usually kind to her pack and is one of the first to comfort a terrified novice or pup, but certain reveries throw her into a sea of depression, and others can make her lash out in blind anger. Persephone's few friends get to see her fairly talkative and warm side often. Everyone else may get a few smiles and an acknowledging few words at best followed by a careful silence. She's usually seen with a thoughtful half-frown in her deep brown eyes.

She usually treats the wolves just like a rival dog pack and doesn't give remarks on their species. She holds respect for them, mostly because of her visions of Shirayuki. She knows the four packs share ancestors, and for that reason she treats each group with the utmost respect. With dog males, she is quiet and observant, treating them like she treats all others. She wants to eventually have a mate, but thoughts of Drazen make her hesitant to choose. She is especially quite to those she admires and will speak even more hesitantly with them. It's usually evident who she likes best; her gaze is drawn to him again and again.

Persephone is very passionate about her pack. She's seen on the battlefield more than the average guard, leaping around. She's practically untouchable for her speed and uses quick nips and distracting cries to deter her opponent. She cares a lot more for the wounded - even if it's a dying wolf. If anyone treats the sick, dying, or dead roughly or without respect, she'll become hateful. She often is seen laying with the dying after the battle before heading home.

History:

It was late winter, when thick snow blanketed everywhere. The hunter Kiyoshi paced back and forth in front of the den where his mate was in labor, to bear their first and only child. Both living in Darciapack, their relationship was normal in all aspects; they'd been firm friends from the start. Demeter, the mother, was a very valued guard; it was hinted that she would succeed the leader when his time came to die. The last time that Kiyoshi would see his daughter would be when he gazed upon her newborn body. He was caught in a snowstorm, freezing to death, just a couple of days after his daughter's birth. The chill of night was still thick in the air when Persephone finally came into the world. Anyone who saw her could see that she'd be a great runner, but due to her short fur no was was sure if she would live or not, being born late. Though she grew ill, another pup-mother with thicker fur nursed her and helped keep her warm until she was old enough to venture off by herself, when spring broke through the ice. As a pup, Persephone often followed her mother to the pack meetings their leader, Tycho, would call. She played witih the other Darciapack pups, sometimes ridiculed for her inability to fight as well as the others. As far as she was concerned, she had enough friends her age and was pleased with her life.

Upon reaching her first half-year, Persephone became a novice and started learning, taught by an older hunter as well as given a few pointers by her mother. She excelled in hunting but began to struggle as far as physical conbat went, although her intelligence was outstanding. Tycho made a decision that she would be given a tutor for that purpose; all hunters had to have some skills in fighting so that they could fend for themselves and help if they were needed. She looked forward to seeing who would teach her - but another novice, a gangly Border Collie named Drazen with a mocking smile, walked up to her when she asked who'd be helping her out. She knew that she wasn't going to enjoy this. He was constantly taunting and teasing her, making her work her hardest at beating him in mock fights. Finally, rage overtook her as he dodged out of her range during a session during a thaw. She tackled him to the ground, knocking him back into the slush. She found herself laughing in triumph, while his eyes held a glimmer of amusement. "That was my idea all along," he barked, and reached up to plant a teasing lick on her cheek.

Startled, Persephone retreated from him. She questioned her feelings for Drazen as he sauntered off into the cool day. They had become a lot closer than before, she realized. The Sloughi chased after him, demanding why he had done that. He flicked his tail into her face and gave another one of his winning smiles. She couldn't believe his arrogance and plopped down stubbornly, narrowing her eyes at him. "You're so weird," the other novice chuckled. He walked back and sat, sighing softly. "You want to hang out together a little more?" She looked past his teasing tone and finally felt her heart flutter. She casually pushed him down into the slush and scampered off; he followed, laughing.

As the months passed, Persephone knew that she simply adored Drazen. He was a great fighter with admirable skills - and a sense of humor that was irritating beyond anything but brightened up his day. However, he'd become a novice a while before her, and soon she witnessed the ceremony that gave him the guard rank. He had tutored her well, though, and she was able to defend herself in battle. Her ears pulled back and her face fell. They lived in seperated worlds now...even if he whispered, "I'll still be here for you," when he passed her. She let her eyes drop to the ground, retorting to herself that she doubted it. She eventually started to give up on any kind of training at all. Her mother was furious; her hateful words only drove her daughter further away. Persephone soon gave up on hunting and spent time farther away from the pack. Drazen was the only one who recognized her depression; he curled around her skinny body and told her that he loved her, urged her to keep going. When he nuzzled into her fur, she replied that she would, if just for him.

Weeks passed, and Persephone was finally promoted to a full-time hunter when her mentor deemed her ready. However, winter closed in on her first year. Food was scarce as the snows became thicker. She found herself growing faint from exhaustion; she had - like all the other hunters - been looking for prey. When she collapsed in the field, she was blanketed with frost and only woke up to feel something warm pressed against her short coat. She opened her eyes weairly to find an instense dark gold staring back at her. It was a wolf, who backed away a few steps and sat down, tilting her head back to howl. Her fur was as pale as snow, but somehow almost transparent, too. Persephone demanded who she was, her hackles rising on her neck as she remembered the two wolf packs that shared the large land with the dogs. The she-wolf brushed past her and stood in the snow. Her face was smooth and impassive. At last, the beginnings of a smile crossed her face as she bowed and murmured, "I am Shirayuki, the white wolf. I am one of the ancestors. Call me your guardian angel, if you will, the holder of your visions." She straightened, and when the beige sighthound blinked, she was gone.

Persephone felt her heart - as savage and stubborn as those of the other Daciapack dogs - soften. She managed to return to the group, welcomed very well. Drazen practically tackled her to the ground, nuzzling into her fur and sighing. She recoiled at the sight of dried blood across his face and asked tentatively what had happened. He muttered it was an attack from the wolves and turned away again. "It was all my idea to get this scar, though," the Border Collie growled good-naturedly. "It makes me look quite handsome, I think." From that point, the female grew more and more concerned about how the battles with the wolves were going, knowing that many of the guards could be killed in the process. And as the days passed, she realized just how much that meant to her.

Persephone was patrolling with another hunter - a thoroughly mixed breed - when she froze and saw Shirayuki. The white wolf snarled in desperation, ordering her to follow. The message that urgency was needed was evident in her golden eyes. The beige hound gave the mutt a look, but he seemed confused, as if he couldn't see the wolf. He asked who she was trying to talk to, but she silently shook her head and chased after her guardian, hurrying to the battlefield. She was tired after already scouting for the enemy, but obviously a fight had broken out. She crouched first to deliver a few last words to a fallen comrade, then looked up to see the semitransparent shape of the wolf leaping in front of her. Terrified, she followed the wolf only to find a physical one in her path. She dodged the grey brute's blow and gnawed at the base of his neck, wounding him to the point that he could be finished off by a few guards. Shirayuki lifted her gaze to Persephone's and whimpered softly. "It is too late," she breathed. The Sloughi leaned forward, emitted a choked sob. Blood flowing from heavy wounds in his chest, face-up in the melting snow, was Drazen. He was dead.

Persephone was heartbroken; she'd lost a teacher, friend, and potential mate. However, the older dogs praised her battle skills, and with time she learned to smile again. Shirayuki - only seen by her - was her constant companion, usually padding at her side and warning her of dangers. Her visions came more and more often, telling her of those in need. At one point, she lay in the meadow next to the dog and whispered, "Disease, not war, will destroy the leadership of Daciapack." And it did come true. Demeter's immune system had not been enough to protect her from a fatal illness, and she had been the one chosen to succeed Tycho when he died. There was no question in everyone else's mind what would happen to Persephone upon the death of the old dog. While it was more common for older, more experienced guards to become leaders, no one doubted the hunter's skills. She was full of wisdom and kindness, and with Shirayuki at her side knew slightly more than the average dog.

IC:

The she-wolf approached the meadow.

Her lips lifted in a snarl as she stalked among the thick forest of the forest. Passing several deciduous trees, her paws brushed quietly over fallen leaves, and her fur touched the dark and rough bark. The beast's snow white pelt disappeared even into the shadows from a profuse bough hanging over her well-shaped head. Sharp ivory fangs flashed in what little sunlight could trickle through the vegetation as she broke into a gallop, claws gripping the loamy earth. Voices reached her, drifting on the breeze. Her teeth glittered again in recognition of a young female's desperate voice. She leaned forward, listening carefully as she stepped about the edge of the trees, before narrownig her eyes and letting out a low growl. Her tail-tip ticked back and forth as she lowered herself onto her elbows, fur bristling, and her muscles tensed for a pounce. Her delicate black nose was put to the leafy wall before her, able to detect the smell of dogs. The shadow of the bushes fell over her as the sun climbed higher into the sky. She put her weight back onto her haunches, prepared herself, and sprang.

Claws and fangs shredded through open air as the creature exploded from the surrounding hedge. The dog's thin body whirled around in reaction, her paws shoving her would-be attacker to the ground. Dirt clung to her white coat as she leapt up again, her sharp gold eyes flicking to where the female sighthound now laughed. Her growl soon deepened and softened into an affectionate rumble as she gave the young leader a wag of her tail. She lifted her head and pricked her ears up, looking out into the meadow. Once again it was stained with blood, and a few bodies littered the earth. A panicked-looking mixed breed female stood over a young pup; a dead smoky grey wolf lay in the snow.

"Where have you been, Shirayuki?" Persephone asked softly. She straightened and looked back toward the colorless corpse lying in the dead grass and frost. She regarded the wolf and padded over to its body, laying down and making sure it was dead before glancing up to the older female. The mottled brown pup crouched under her sniffed and cocked his head in confusion; his mother growled at the presence making her fur bristle The leader dipped her head apologetically and whispered, "It's nothing, Nasrin. Lay your fur down." The mutt nodded and bent her head over her son's form. He shook his parent's muzzle away and padded forward confidently, though anyone could see the gash in his shoulder. He glared at the body of the grey wolf and was unaware of Shirayuki's eye on him.

Persephone first watched the puppy expressionlessly, then she softened up and licked his wound. "Keep that clean," she advised him. "It'll heal, Antero." She gave her white companion a look and had a slightly more hopeful expression. Nasrin let out a sob at the sight of the body and her son's bleeding wound but managed to walk back to the camp. It had been a while since the old mutt had bared her teeth in battle, and it was her quick reaction that had saved the novice's life. The beige female turned to whisper to Shirayuki; the white wolf regarded her with lips pulled back into a grin. "What's wrong? Do you have any message for me?" she asked quietly. She only knew the wolf to come to warn her of future events, but the white animal only held her grin and turned away to stare at Antero. His independence showed through, and he gave the corpse a smug look as he walked stiff-leggedly toward the wolf. A wind whipped across her legs and ruffled the white fur of the lupine visitor. Darkness fell upon the meadow as the cloud crossed the sun. She closed her eyes and heaved a sigh, feeling the old grief well up in her again. Earlier that morning she had found the lone wolf's scent on her territory and spent a lot of the time explaining to the other Darciapack dogs that it didn't belong to the rival packs. She didn't want any unecessary battles, not during this lean season. Though the Sloughi was worried about the trouble the rogue wolf would cause, she had to smile at the pup. His expression reminded her so much of Drazen... She heard his voice again, resounding thorugh her mind.

"This was my idea all along."

Was it your idea to get killed? she retorted within her own mind.

"Well, I can watch over you forever now."

Persephone blinked in puzzlement and looked around, but it had just been a ghost of a voice. She shook her head quickly and gave both Antero and the invisible Shirayuki an apologetic glass, sitting back down in the cold grass again and yawning slightly.

[>>Rukia]

Accepted.