Sunday, September 1, 2013

Vulpine Bios

This is where I'll be posting little snippets of the characters, mostly to help you guys picture them; some of their markings will be described in the story, but often-times they won't, simply because the characters aren't really concerned about each others' looks most of the time. Also because their markings can be rather complex. I'll prolly link this post to any other Vulpine posts I make, depending on how things go.

As a side note, while most of these designs aren't too outlandish (they're at least grounded in reality; no weird colors or anything) some of the markings and stuff are really uncommon/unlikely. This is partially to ensure that everyone has a distinct appearance, to make things less confusing over all.

All of the images were made with Kaylink's Fox Maker on dART (http://www.fictionpress.com/s/3151145/1/Vulpine). It's fun to play with, if you're into that sort of thing. However, it does mean that some of the markings are a bit over-exaggerated in the maker, and Ill make sure to mention that with the characters.

I won't post every character here immediately (although I do have all their images) since there's like over 20. I'll probably post a few as they appear in each chapter, to keep things simple, so check this post from time to time.

Unaligned Foxes (dead and living)
Unaligned foxes (those living outside of the Skulk) are called "solitaires" by Skulk foxes, despite the fact that solitaires often live in small family groups.


Sage
Sage is an old dog-fox (or tod, whichever term you prefer) who has lived in the forest longer than anyone else. Old, wise, and a bit gruff from time-to-time, he is the sort who prefers to keep a low profile rather than engage in any hostilities. He's seen more than his fair share of travelers pass through the area, although few stay for very long, and he has never tried interacting with them, as he is not interested in making friends. This changed, however, when he found Sprite in the forest, alone and distressed. He took her in, listened to her story, and vowed to keep her safe as well as he could. He and his young ward often butt heads, as she hates being constrained, but they are very fond of each other. Sage knows all sorts of stories and legends, and uses them to his advantage when trying to distract Sprite or take her down another trail of thought. He isn't entirely honest with her, and avoids most questions he doesn't want to answer, but he has his reasons.
Note: Sage's appearance is one of the inaccurate ones, as I designed it years ago, before this story was conceived. Normal red foxes do not have that much black on them. His appearance is similar to a cross fox (rarer coloration of a red fox; they're the same species), but cross foxes have more darker colors and no white, except on the tips of their tails. He could be some sort of cross mix, but I haven't done much research into them. He looks cool, though. ;)


Sprite
Sprite is an inquisitive young fox who is ever-restless and constantly getting into trouble (trouble Sage has to save her from). She's loud (occasionally obnoxious), spirited, and very warm towards others. She was born in the forest, along with her two brothers, but speaks very rarely about her family and what happened to them. Only Sage knows the full story, at the present time. She has mostly put it behind her, preferring to focus on the present instead. Mostly, she is concerned with the biggest question in her life: What does it mean to be a fox? For whatever reason, she has become obsessed with finding an answer, some sort of explanation for why she was born, why Sage saved her, and what her life is supposed to mean. Try as she might, she can't find any answers from Sage, and so when the strangers do arrive in their forest, she turns to them in hopes of finally laying the question to rest. Sprite is obsessed with all sorts of stories and folktales, both those she learned from her family and from Sage. She has a bad habit of imagining fantastical monsters from these stories, and also of thinking about them when she really should be looking out for danger. Like Sage, she enjoys sharing these stories with others when she can. Most of all, she wants to find foxes her own age to spend time with, those that are just as interested in figuring out the world as she is.
Note: Both Sage & Sprite have been my characters for years and years, back in my Shattered-rp days. I've dabbled with them a few times, but never done anything too major; this is the first time they get true character arcs of their own. Exciting stuff. :D
The Skulk: Trainers
Musk
Musk is one of the two male trainers. He's an old dude; this is his fourth year of training kits, so he knows what he's doing. Usually he picks his favorites right from the beginning and focuses mostly on them, leaving the other kits to either flounder by themselves or starve. This year, however, he has been joined by Toma, whose purpose is to gather up the kits Musk leaves behind, and give them a fighting chance. Musk is resentful of his new "partner," especially since it signifies the Reynard's flagging trust in him. Although his training is always brutal, this year it will probably be even more so, because he has something to prove.

So far we've seen that Musk is blunt and harsh in both his speeches and behavior; he has no patience for fools or weaklings, and is not above using his considerable force to make his will clear. Although he's getting up there in years, he still takes pride in his strength and ability to whip others into shape. The kits should not be fooled by his brawn, either; holding the trainer position for four years is no small feat. He's smart enough to know exactly what buttons to push to get the results he desires, and ruthless enough to do whatever it takes to make sure his trainees are the ones that triumph.

Musk was born outside of the Skulk; the Skulk often raids families that live in their territory, killing the parents and taking the kits back with them, as a measure against too much inbreeding. He was the only one of his litter to survive training. He and the Reynard trained together, so they go way back.
Note: The silver markings on his pelt are a little exaggerated due to the maker. Black foxes are a "color morph" of red foxes. They're also known as silver foxes. They are fairly rare in North America, appearing most commonly in the north, and even then they're less than 10% of the fox population. Because of this, I limited myself to only one, although I wanted more because they're super-cool. And then because I could only have 1, I had to make sure it was someone important. Thus, Musk. :D
It also makes him scary as hell to the others, which is a nice bonus.
Toma
Toma is the first fox to hold the position of second trainer to the males. He was appointed by the Reynard to ensure that the runts at least had a ghost of a chance in coming home - mostly because of Faun. Toma was a good choice, because although he is young, he was a runt himself during training - and the only male to return home. Just how and why this happened remains to be seen, but Toma has dedicated himself to trying to save at least one of the runts from their usual fate. Toma himself is a fairly easy-going, amicable guy. Unlike Musk, he wants his trainees to be at ease, since they've already spent most of their lives trembling and being pushed around by the larger males. Time will tell whether his more cheerful approach will work, and whether he has the chops to stand up to Musk's wrath.
Half-brother to Grint, Sillian, and Kadder. 
Field
Trainer for the females. This is her first year of training the females on her own; the prior year she was shadowing the female trainer at the time, who was killed. Field seems confident enough in her role; training hunters isn't exactly hard, as the territory is rich with prey and most of them are clever enough to figure it out with only a little guidance. Field herself is a kind and gentle soul, one who would never dream of rocking the boat or pushing herself to the forefront of the Skulk's politics. She's content to do her job - namely, trying to make the vixens as successful as possible. She likes to think of her trainees as her own kits, if only for a few months, and does her best to make them feel less homesick and worried about the future. However, she's not all that bright, and a few (i.e. Trick) find her motherly nature rather irritating. 

The Skulk: Trainees
     Musk's
Riven
Definitely a bit of a twat. The best word to describe Riven would probably be courageous - followed by stubborn, brash, arrogant, and self-obsessed. He has a superiority complex big enough to cover half the forest - and, unfortunately, the power to back it up. Riven's the largest of Musk's trainees, and appears to be the most promising. Whether he will be one of the survivors of training is not even a question; he already has his eyes set on the position of Reynard. Confident and decisive, he has already intended to make his leadership obvious to the others in his group, and thus far has succeeded, although Reyes seems a bit discontent. Appropriately, Riven despises those whose personalities are the opposite of him - foxes like Faun, who are meek, shy, timid, and on the small side. This philosophy means that he counts all of the runts (and Koulder) among his enemies, but Faun has the special privelege of being the one he hates the most, because of his parentage. Riven takes such a weak kit being the Reynard's son as almost a personal offense, because he believes fate should have put him in Faun's place, giving him an even easier path to leadership. Instead, he has to prove himself during training and gather as much renown as he can, in hopes of finding himself in that position some day. And, in the meantime, he can take his frustration out on his underlings whenever possible.

Despite his youth, he also enjoys leering at females, and can be easily lead along by a pretty face. After all, a strong tod deserves all the pleasures life has to offer. 

Brother to Holly and Mote. Had another sister who died on the journey.

Sillian
A quieter fellow who is decidedly average; he is not large like Riven, Waire, or Reyes, but not small (relatively) like Athor or Koulder. For now, he is basically invisible. He and Grint were close as kits, when it was unclear whether or not Sillian would be large enough for Musk to choose him, but now Sillian has put a little distance between them. Associating with runts is basically social suicide, after all, and the last thing Sillian wants is trouble.
Brother to Grint and Kadder. Had another sister who died on the journey.

Reyes
Another confident fellow, and one of the larger foxes among Musk's trainees. Reyes is strong and quick on his paws, as well as clever; unlike Riven, he has at least some handle on his temper, although he is quick to scorn those smaller than him, and lash out at them when things do not go his way. Reyes has shown some glimmer of wanting leadership for himself, but has chosen to go along with Riven for now. After all, if Riven does become the Reynard, he will still need foxes close to him to help guide him in his decisions, and Reyes is more than willing to help.
Brother to Bolt and Cettel. Had another brother who died on the journey.
Note: Markings on his face are a wee bit exaggerated by the maker.

Waire
Second-largest in Musk's group, narrowly beaten out by Riven. Waire is quiet, with a low voice that is rarely heard. Despite his size and formidability, he has made no attempt to push himself forward as a leader, preferring to follow the others' decisions. He's not all that bright, attacking his problems with brute force rather than thinking them through, but with his promising size, he doesn't really need to. 
Brother to Feo, Athor, and Tress.
Note: Color is a bit too dark, due to my meddling in Paint. :P

Athor
He's quiet, much like his brother Waire, but the two of them are not very close. He is the second-smallest of Musk's group (although of course still larger than the runts) and well-aware of it. Being one of the smaller foxes puts him in a vulnerable position, and he has to be constantly on guard to avoid being attacked or belittled. He is nervous about training, and fairly terrified of Musk. Time will tell if he is able to keep up with Musk's harsh training.
Brother to Feo, Waire, and Tress.


Koulder
Koulder is definitely the oddball of Musk's trainees, as he's the smallest, and looks different from the others because of his heritage outside of the Skulk. He's as aware of his status as Athor is, and has thus far remained completely silent, trying not to stir up any trouble. Instead, this silence has made him a target for Riven's ire, as Riven hates any sort of softness or timidity. Koulder does not seem motivated to push himself, or brave enough to stand up against the larger kits. Whatever Musk supposedly saw in him, if he does not prove himself soon, it is likely that he will be discarded entirely.
Brother to Tamber, Iole, and Lilt.
Note: His litter is composed of cross foxes, another "color morph." Cross foxes are more common than black/silver foxes, but less common than normal red ones. His litter came from outside the Skulk, like Musk's.

     Toma's
Faun
The son of the Reynard, Faun has a bit of an uphill struggle ahead of him. His mother died giving birth to his litter - of which he was the sole survivor - which has caused his father to resent him. This resentment is only compounded by the fact that Faun is nothing like what a Reynard should be. Because of his premature birth, he's small for his age, and looks as though he will not be getting a growth spurt any time soon. He is also shy and rather timid, traits his father despises. Faun spent much of his early days avoiding larger kits, who bullied him out of jealousy (because of his position as the Reynard's son). Most of this bullying was ignored by the other adults; runts are doomed in training, after all, so it was not as though Faun would ever be coming home. However, despite his feelings, the Reynard did do his son one favor in appointing Toma to train the smaller males. This is the only gleam of hope Faun has, but it's a dim one. He feels his death is almost inevitable, and cannot even seek solace with the other runts, as he feels cut-off from them by his hierarchical position in the Skulk due to his father. Faun is lonely, but too shy to do anything about it, and seems resigned to his eventual fate as fodder for the large males.

His one boon is his cleverness, which he uses to wiggle out of sticky situations - namely, Riven's continued pursuits.

Grint
Grint is an upbeat little jokester, despite the severity of his position. He's already set to work befriending the smaller males, and eventually hopes to cozy up to some of the larger ones, too. He doesn't seem too worried about the future, preferring to focus on what he views as the fun of the present.
Brother to Sillian, Kadder, and a diseased sister.

Bolt
Bolt and Grint are of the same cloth; both are high-energy little males who would much rather prefer to smile rather than mope. Bolt's quick on his paws, but likes to use that speed to play a rousing game of tag, rather than chasing down an opponent.
Brother to Reyes, Cettel, and a diseased brother.
Note: His facial markings are exaggerated as well.

Feo
Easily the glummest of the group, Feo has not one, but two brothers that tower over him, a fact that has cast a gloomy cloud over his head. Unlike Grint and Bolt, he holds very little hope for the future, and is all too aware of the futility of Toma's training.
Brother to Waire, Athor, and Tress.



     Field's
Trick
Trick's real name is Lilt, but she absolutely hates it. She views Lilt as a "typical" vixen name in the Skulk - short, meaningless, and easily passed over. It's a symbol of everything that she hates about being a female in the Skulk's society. She's replaced it with "Trick," a much firmer name in her mind - the rougher "T" sound, like in Tamber's name, and the sharp "ck" at the end that makes you take notice - but can't be very open about it. Musk doesn't generally approve of foxes renaming themselves. Trick's a bit callous when it comes to others; her big focus is on proving herself as a worthy adversary to the males, so that she might be allowed to join their ranks as a fighter, rather than a hunter. She has no patience for hunting, and would much rather be fighting off enemies and gaining all the recognition that the males receive for their courageous actions - not to mention that she would be far less disposable, and could potentially hold a leadership position some day. Obviously this is radical thinking within the Skulk, and she knows she must tread lightly, but she has already made a few errors in her eagerness to get ahead.
Her relationship with her family is rather rocky. She views Koulder as weak, but also must acknowledge that he is competition; after all, if she is able to get herself in with the males, then the two of them might have to fight one another at some point. Her relationship with Tamber is equally antagonizing, as Tamber already has her own life mapped out, and it does not contain either of her sisters making their way home. Trick's parents were killed by the Skulk whens he was very young, but her vague memories of them are part of what fuel her ambition to change the Skulk's practices and way of life - and she does not care who she might have to use to get what she wants.
Sister to Tamber, Iole, and Koulder.
Tamber
A very pretty and very cunning little vixen, Tamber has her eyes set on the crown jewel of the trainees: Riven. She's already made plans to gain his favor in hopes that once he comes home and becomes the Reynard, she will stand by his side as his mate. This position has little real power, but does give her some authority over the vixens, as well as preferential treatment, which is about as high as vixens can get in the Skulk's segregated society. She's more than willing to do whatever it takes to succeed - including eliminating her competition.
Iole
We don't know much about her yet, other than that her sisters don't think much of her, and she has not captured Field's attention, either.
Sister to Lilt, Tamber, and Koulder.
Holly
Holly is Riven's sister, and appears promising; she, Tamber, Tress, and Mote are the only four to have successfully brought back prey for the males each time they have gone out. She's very close to her smaller sister, and takes care of her when she can. She has been shown to be sympathetic to the smaller runts as well, such as when she tried bringing Grint prey, only to be thwarted by Musk. She and Mote keep to themselves when they can.
Sister to Riven and Mote.
Mote
Holly's smaller sister, and the quieter of the pair. So far she appears to be a good hunter, and sympathetic to the runts - although she might have only been following Holly's lead when she tried bringing prey to Feo. She is constantly shadowing Holly, and does not like interacting with the others.
Sister to Riven and Holly.


Kadder
A bit clumsy but enthusiastic, Kadder is eager to learn and desperate to please the higher-ups in the Skulk. Unlike a few of the others, she doesn't seem to have any ill will towards her fellow competitors (much like her brother, Grint). She and Cettel have a lot in common, and enjoy each others' company.
Sister to Grint and Sillian.
Cettel
Cettel is as light on her paws as her brothers, but it remains to be seen if she has any of Reyes' cleverness. She and Kadder are already friends, and like Kadder she is not aggressive towards the other females. 
Sister to Bolt and Reyes.
Tress
 Tress does not have sisters (like Trick/Tamber/Iole or Holly/Mote), and does not seem inclined to make friends with the others (Cettel/Kadder). She prefers to keep to herself, and is a bit miffed by others that she perceives to be less intelligent than herself. This includes both Iole and Trick, as Trick is currently attempting to keep a low profile among the females. Tress would rather hunt by herself, and thus far has shown a knack for it, indicating she will be a firm contender in the upcoming hunts.
Sister to Waire, Athor, and Feo.

Vulpine's Up!

Hey, guys. I doubt there's anyone who follows this blog and not my FFN posts, but just in case someone out there does, Vulpine is officially up. Hope you guys will check it out!

http://www.fictionpress.com/s/3151145/1/Vulpine

I'll be making a second post soon, with a few character bios like Chilled/Shattered had. Stick around. :)