DUSKPATH Your Name: Annika Character Name: Duskpath Cub Name (if any): Dandelion Previous Names (if any): Brightburn Soulname: Rhya Race: Wolfrider Gender: Female Age: 83 Height: 3'8'' . Perfectly average for a wolfblooded female. Build: Well built, with fairly long legs and sleek lines. She's not too skinny, but rather a shapely 'just right', with a little bit of curve both on top and bottom. Hair Color: Bright orange hair, part of the reason for her old name, with quite a bit of curl to it, enough to make it wavy and fairly bouncy. It reaches down to her shoulders, but she tends to keep it back with a headscarf or headband, as there are always some shorter strands that get in her eyes. She sometimes tries pushing it back in a manner that suggests it used to be much longer. Eyes: Clear green eyes, occasionally hazel, occasionally sea-green, sometimes like carved glass, sometimes like the green shadows under the branches in the forest. They are large, with long lashes slightly darker than her hair, but not slanted. Skin Color: Pale, almost translucent, contrasting strongly with her bright hair. Sometimes it seems as if the fire of her hair can be seen through her body. Facial Features: Large eyes, finely shaped eyebrows, a small but expressive mouth with a pronounced cupids bow, slightly pink. Straight, fine nose, well-placed cheekbones. All placed on pale, almost iridescent skin, making her look nearly ethereal in moonlight. Voice: Quiet, melodious, can be very flat when sad or unhappy, gains more timbre and expressiveness when she is happy and relaxed. Mental Voice: Same as speaking, but generally has more depth - she will rarely send when unhappy. Scars, Birthmarks, Etc.: A white scar on her hand as from a knife cut, in the curve between thumb and index finger. Some minor marks from a life in the wilderness. Occupation: Scout, gatherer, hunter. After traveling alone for several years, she's a fairly decent scout, hunter, gatherer, and can do her own tanning in a tight spot. Rather than have a set occupation, she will help out where needed, and doesn't mind working hard. Skills/hobbies: Scouting - good, hunting - good, gathering - average, tanning - average/poor, (the leathers are fairly soft and fine, but she isn't very good at turning them into clothes,) fishing - poor, dancing - actually very good, but no one in the tribe has ever seen her dance. Lovemate: Silverfish, dead Lifemate: None Recognized: Silverfish, dead Family: Mother - Leafcatcher, Father - Surefoot Children: None Usual Clothing: Tan leather trousers, low-slung, with a thin leather strap as belt, leather top/vest with front lacing, worn with soft moccasins and a headscarf to keep her hair back. None of it is dyed, just natural colors, and is unadorned though well made. Heavy Clothing: A white fur coat, worn over thick leather trousers with optional 'felted' lining. Underneath she wears a pale, long sleeved leather shirt under her usual vest, and fur-lined boots, a pair of fur-lined mittens and a white fur cap finish off the attire. Light Clothing: Same as usual, though she will occasionally drop the trousers for a loincloth or shorts, and go barefoot. Jewelry/Adornments: Large piece of amber carved in the shape of a wolf's head, worn on a leather thong around her neck. Weapons/Tools: Bow, sling, and a short spear, along with an 'allround' knife. She also has a few tanning-tools. Special Items: The piece of amber she wears as a necklace, a gift from her dead lovemate. Magic: Sending, wolfbonding. Fears: Joykiller, jealousy, violence between sentient beings. Likes: Friendly, relaxed banter, hunting and scouting on her own, good stories. Dislikes: People who are pushy or won't leave her alone, dreamberries - they make you remember too much, witnessing too much affection between others. Personality: It is hard to tell who Duskpath really is - she tends to be fairly evasive, avoiding conflict and closeness with equal vigor. She seems to be a quiet and competent elfess, but in the rare instances when she relaxes and enjoys herself, flashes of a wilder, happier Duskpath peek out. There is bitterness within her, evident in the closed and dark look on her face when people around her indulge in shows of affection. Sees Self As: Dead inside-if she only believes in it strongly enough, maybe the pain and sorrow and fear will stop. History: Brightburn was a vivacious and happy youngster, and played around with her agemates much as any young elf would do. She was always particularly close to Silverfish, a young male nearly as young as her. The only thing that troubled her was the persistence of another young male, the intense and demanding Darkbow. As they grew into adults, Brightburn and Silverfish pretty much became lovemates, but not openly - Darkbow had become increasingly jealous and irrational over the years, and they tried to avoid his reaction to their love as much as possible. This arrangement hankered along for a number of years, with increasing tension and clashes between the couple and the spurned Darkbow. One fine spring evening, a wonderful thing happened. Brightburn and her lovemate, Silverfish, Recognized. They could hardly believe their luck, but decided the time had come to make their affections 'official'. Silverfish, being a friendly and open fellow, felt it would be wise to tell Darkbow first, to prepare him for the news. Despite misgivings, the young female agreed, something she would regret for the rest of her life. When the sun rose that morning, she was kneeling over the lifeless body of her soulmate, her bleeding hand wrapped around the knife Darkbow had planted in his rival's heart. The call of Recognition unfullfilled, she fled her birthtribe, leaving behind memories of great joy and great sorrow, and the raving Joykiller - as she renamed him in her heart of hearts. Traveling far and fast, she used all her tricks and cunning to ensure he would not follow her. So far, she has seen no sign of him, but she fears he is still out there somewhere, searching for her. After several Turns of the seasons, she was traveling parallel to the cold, white wastes when she came across a small band of traveling elves. She had heard the Call before, but feared it was some sort of trick by her nemesis - several years of flight had left her more than a little paranoid. Now, she realized it was something very different - and that she actually craved the company of other elves again… at least in limited doses. For now, she travels with the tribe, doing whatever needs doing with quiet efficiency. If the sign of true love makes her turn aside in pain or anger, that is for her to battle with, and no business of anyone else. Quote: "Don't get up, you've had too many dreamberries - I'll fetch some water." Bond Animal: Wolf Name: Streamrunner Gender: Male Appearance: Large, gray wolf, with long legs and large paws. His belly and chest is pale, almost silvery, continuing up under his chin, and he has a white star shaped spot on his forehead. Personality: Quiet and strong, Duskpath named Streamrunner when they first met - he was a young, adult wolf when she met him during the first year of her flight. There was an instant connection, and Duskpath has always suspected that he carries a few drops of Timmain's blood. When they started traveling together, she still spent much time avoiding making tracks, and traveling in the middle of a stream was one of her favorite tactics. At first, the young wolf didn't approve of running through the cold water, but in time he came to enjoy the splashing and occasional fish he would frighten up. Now, he will play in water when it is available and not too cold, and the name, at first an ironic comment, has become an appropriate tag for him.