Illsa

Two Brothers (NPCs)

### Voice

Francesca Capaldi (as pup); Raffey Cassidy (as juvenile); Patricia Summersett (as adult)

## Application Sheet

Illsa was a white-and-gray she-wolf with moon-yellow eyes. She arrived in Fellfang as a pup, in the midst of the Hive Wars, where she was taken in by adoptive father figure Gale. Her story is ongoing. Illsa was created and RP'd by k-eilonwy.

## Personality

* ***Empathetic and Peaceful.*** Above all, Illsa is a kind creature. She's not a loud force of nature, like a storm, rather a gentle sylvan stream, offering its waters to all thirsty for its coolness. Illsa makes a decent smoother, for she is not the one who talks over others or boasts her own, but listens, absorbs what others are feeling and sharing with her. Illsa will forever have a soft spot for those who need help, whoever they may be, for she knows how hard it is to find a soul kind enough to dedicate their time for another; however, herself a shy thing, she's not the one who asks for help nor seek any kind of repayment for her services. She's happy and content from just being useful. And even if she's used for her utility, Illsa won't seek revenge or retribution upon those who wrong her. She has seen enough hatred and cruelty to avert her from any misdeeds and evils. War being the most unnatural, vile of all conflicts. After all, every creature, great or small, is part of another in the grand scheme of life and should be valued as such.
* ***Imaginative and Observant***. There's no hiding it, this kid has got a big imagination, maybe even bigger than what is expected of pups her age. Every story is felt ten times more vividly, every memory is experienced ten times brighter. Illsa's creative streak certainly makes her see the world bigger and better than it is, - one could say she's almost too absorbed in her fantasy make-believe visions. A sure-footed wolf probably shouldn't see "prophetic dreams" or carve pictures on her food, right?... Illsa is an inquisitive soul, thirsting for knowledge and discovery, like all children. But unlike her peers, she's more quiet and calm in making observations and experimenting; sometimes it feels like she's not really interested in a thing, until you hear her first shy sharings or notes about it. Despite the quiet attitude, Illsa is ever-curious, watchful of everything happening around her. She's drawn to learning, listening, searching and testing. There's almost a hidden restlessness that comes with her desire to get to know wolves other than her and the pack life, - probably comes from a rather poor judgement of others' behaviour too.
* ***Nostalgic and Dreamy.*** It's usually the older, more life-weary wolves who are prone to dwelling on the past graces, but Illsa seems like she's got an old soul trapped in young body. Though small in years, she tends to look back on her rare happy memories from the past she hardly remembers with the wolves she hardly remembers and cling to those. Her world is mostly focused on the days long gone and various "what ifs": constantly creating different scenarios in her head, Illsa is often distracted from the reality. Her dreams are her escapes and coping mechanisms helping her deal with everyday problems and stress.
* ***Detached, Confused and Almost Asocial.*** Illsa has always seemed like she isn't quite there mentally, - a state of detachment from reality which only worsened after the separation from her birthfather. She takes longer to cope with stress and negativity of her situation and quietly ignores others' reaching out. She doesn't oppose it, rather gets very oblivious to instances of sympathy or attention towards her. The bubble of ignorance she had known most of her life has been pierced by the complete loneliness she experienced for the first time; this made her numb, a void which is yet to be filled. Nowadays she seems more like a melancholy echo of who she was; granted, no one in her new circle can tell the difference, for no one has really seen her any other way but pale and far-off. Illsa is withdrawn, only emotionally vulnerable to those she deems her closest friends (and that is one tiny circle of persons) and is not the one to reach out first. Her cluelessness regarding social interactions makes her seem unfriendly even, - it’s almost like she doesn’t quite want to be around others. Maybe it is a temporary behavior triggered by the trauma, but at this point who can say for sure if she’s gonna “grow out” of it?
* ***Independent and Restless***. If you ask Illsa, she'd likely remain a loner throughout her whole life. It’s not that she hates the company or holds grudges against pack culture, quite the opposite; but as much as she’s interested in getting to know it, she feels it’s hard for her to truly feet in. The togetherness and familiarity of a pack is something that she needs to get accustomed to, and gods know it’ll take a while. There’s a sense of solitariness that’s pulling her out of the crowd and into the familiar quietness of a forest or a hill or a coast. She just… prefers doing things on her own, without anyone breathing down someone’s neck. Illsa isn’t overly rebellious or opinionated, rather, she adapts to whatever comes her way: if she’s monitored, then so be it, but she’ll try to get her privacy the instant eyes are off her. She feels a special kind of restlessness lately, like a part of her that’s still somewhere far away is calling her, a voice calling her. And she can only listen to it in solitude.
* ***Shy and Timid.*** Apparent to anyone who tries to make contact with the misty puppy, Illsa is a reserved creature. It takes much time for her confidence to grow and her curiosity to overtake shy nature; once it happens though, it’s a miracle to behold and a moment to treasure! Illsa hides in a defensive shell whenever others overwhelm her too much, and it can take a while to get into her good graces after that. Staying away from drama is her personal motto, as she picks up the tense atmosphere easily; it’s not unusual for her naive mind to jump to conclusions like “they don’t like me” or “I’ve made their day worse” after the smallest incidents. She’ll get over it… probably. But for now she’ll sulk quietly about how she has ruined someone’s day by stepping on their paw. She won’t make a teary-eyed spectacle out of the situation thankfully - Illsa’s not the loudly dramatic kind.

## Pre-Group History

As far as Illsa could remember, she was always on the move.

Her brightest memories contained not the warmth of a familiar den or mother’s tender affection or even the fun romps with her littermates (though these things she seems to recall as well), - rather, her brightest memories were of never-ending wanderings across the different lands with her father.

Her father, her *aba*, her stoic, yet tender father *Harakh*… He was her world, as she was his. The two of them had nothing in this life but the pawprints on the ground they travelled on, and each other’s backs, of course. After her father took her by the scruff of her neck one day, hurriedly, worriedly, out of the safety of their den, their pack, and into the wild, the moonkissed pup knew only life on the road. Ask Illsa, and she'd choose no other share than this. The excitement of new smells coming from a foreign land, the inspiration from sweet songs of unknown birds, the thrill of encountering the trees as ancient as time itself, and of course, the moments of bonding with her aba, - this is all that she has ever known and would ask for. She’d ask no questions about their final destination, plans, the point of their travels or even about their previous pack, for she trusted completely. Besides, the mentions of their previous pack made aba so sad-looking, that Illsa didn’t have the heart to keep on asking. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder about the things they have left behind, all the unspoken worries and assumptions she had in her head were hidden deeply in her, until they almost faded away, like those rare memories she had…

Harakh has taught her everything she knows: how to predict the weather, the location of prey and how to hunt it down (though Illsa was too young then to really be engaged in serious hunting), navigation by stars, smells, sounds, the smallest details in the surroundings, fishing and swimming. He told her stories of the wolf gods and the spirits, of life and death, of light and darkness. The world seemed so big and ancient from his stories, Illsa spent a lot of time reflecting on all sorts of things. It was aba who taught her to think outside of the box and keep moving forward no matter what. It was aba who taught her to carve pretty “art” on bones and fish with her teeth, - a “hobby” she still greatly enjoys. The only thing aba could not teach Illsa was socialisation, for they avoided packs and groups on their travels. It didn’t matter then anyway, for the pup had her “pack” by her side nonetheless.

They couldn’t have known that one day life would separate them so drastically. Even though Harakh has speculated that one day Illsa would need to be let go…

Aba wasn’t the healthiest wolf, and Illsa easily picked up his pace, whenever he got weaker and more withdrawn than usual. He got worse one day, forcing the two travellers to find shelter in the forest where Harakh could rest and recover before setting off again. Illsa wanted to cheer him up so badly, but how… luckily, she found a solution to help her aba get on his paws again - by bringing him delicious fish, caught by herself no less! She felt excited to be able to support him, blissfully ignoring the growing bad weather… by the time she made it to the river bank, it was pouring hard enough to cloud her vision. She slipped into the river, taken away by the raging waters, pulled from everything she knew and hoped for. Her aba, left behind, so far away. No matter how strong of a swimmer Illsa was, she would not fight the rampant element, accepting her fate… Was it death? She did not had the time to think before her mind gave way to the blackness.

When she woke, longer than for an instant, she met the eyes of a grey stranger, with a coat of sea and eyes of the sun’s warmth.

And after that, no more aba. No more traveling. Nothing of the life she led before - but a new, mysterious and exciting one ahead, in a pack, no less.

## Trivia

* Illsa seems to be drawn to water and enjoys being near any water sources. In time, she'll grow to be an excellent and strong swimmer. She takes interest in fishing as well and seems to be doing pretty good at it - even better than hunting land prey.
* Her favorite flower is baby's breath as it reminds her of stars in the night sky.
* Illsa has a peculiar little hobby - she carves small images or pieces of ‘art’, as she calls them, on fish and bones with her teeth, especially whenever she’s bored or feels anxious. It’s a little past-time of hers to help her express thoughts, channel insecurities and deal with everyday stress. Also it’s a trick that she learned from her father, making it all the more special.
* She wholeheartedly claims to see ‘prophetic’ dreams (which in reality are less of true depictions of future but rather the things she suspects and overthinks and this in turn manifests in her dreams). In the majority of them, she usually sees herself following some pack of white wolves into the stars. She deduces it may somehow be connected to her true role in this world, - she’s just unsure what it is.
* Illsa has developed a habit of repeatedly washing her paws and body or taking a dip into the nearest water source as means of relieving severe distress or fear. For that reason she feels highly uncomfortable without the exposure to any water, especially in areas where it's limited (deserts, steppes, etc). It's rare to ever see Illsa's fur dry!

## Quotes

* "*I...saw you before..*." - first ever line of dialogue to Gale from "**On Death's Doorstep**"
* *“I understand. Aba used to tell me that we all come from the same seed, from the same soil, and we all go down to it too. So, I guess, everyone is a part of each other’s, somehow.”* - from "**On Death's Doorstep**"
* “*You know a thing about the stars which always comforts me? I remember my father telling me something long ago. I once asked him if we’d always be together and what would happen if we had ever separated… He told me that if I ever lost my way to him, and if I missed him, I should look at the sky and remind myself that it’s so big, bigger than all of us, and that I could see the same clouds, stars and constellations that my father could see. We’re all home under the sky. It’s the only thing that unites us truly, the wolves of different packs, the birds, the prey, the fish.*” - from **"Under Same Stars"**
* “*Such is the way of fate and life… We meet a soul and it leaves an impact on us as we part from it. We can always carry that memory with us, or let go, but we always extract something from it. Change is inevitable indeed, but it’s necessary for growth, I think.”* - from "**Fishes Out Of Water**"
* *“Oh, you know bravery isn’t all just muscles or intimidation or a cool bravado. It isn’t really even being “unafraid”, because everyone, even the Vanguardians like your parents, can be scared of something. I’d say it’s often the fear that pushes us towards being daring and innovative!”* - to Galen from "**Snowy Wolves!**"

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* k-eilonwy's deviantART Gallery