Joseph

## Application Sheet

Joseph is a red fox and friend of several wolves in Aryn and Vale, particularly Athena. He left the Domain on a secret mission to help his wolf allies, with Talaendril and Annastasia, and hasn't been seen since. He was created and RP'd by WynBird.

## Personality

* ***Adventurous and Resourceful*.** Joseph has a zest for life and, although he tends to find himself in sticky situations, is pretty good at getting out of them (most of the time).
* ***Hopeless Romantic*.** Possessing an unshakable faith in everyone's inner hero, the idea of noble knights and damsels in distress is an idea Joseph firmly supports. He believes in that chivalry is very much alive, and true love is absolutely a thing.
* ***Nosy and Curious*.** Like many foxes, Joseph has a tendency to put his nose where it doesn't belong. In his case, it is in the affairs of wolves.
* ***Melodramatic*.** Sometimes considered 'whiny', Joseph's unfathomable depths of emotion lead him to be *very* dramatic - he is passionate about *everything.*
* ***Quirky*.** Many wolves view Joseph as very quirky; between his naive beliefs in heroism and chivalry, and the language he uses (like Okie Dokie!), he can be seen as a rather odd duck.

## Pre-Group History

Joseph's was born to a pair of rather average fox parents, neither of them exceptionally fierce or cunning or brave. As he grew, Joseph distinguished himself from his littermates by developing a keen interest in the other animals of the wood. When his parents offered Joseph their full attention, he proved to be a quick learner with an ability to excel at most things. Lacking that direct tutelage, such as during 'group lessons' or leisure time, the boy possessed an almost unnatural tendency toward finding trouble. It was always something; today he was agitating a badger, yesterday it was stealing tail-feathers from the resident owl's nest, and the week before sticking his nose in a beehive. While his brothers wrestled, Joseph gossiped with the ravens. While the rest of the family foraged, he explored. Growing up, the kit never seemed to really understand the world as it was. His parents often marveled that their son lived to adulthood at all.

Come fall, Joseph and his siblings left their parents to each make their fortunes. He was eager to be off, to live the life he'd imagined for himself. As is often the case, however, that life was not to be. Not long after setting out on his own, the reynard made the acquaintance of a lone she-wolf. The bright-red female was much smaller than others of her kind, docile and frail-looking. Apparently mute, she seemed terrified of Joseph, and it took him the better part of an afternoon to coax her out of her hiding spot in the bracken. Once convinced the fox wasn't about to eat her, the little wolf began to trail after him. A strange friendship began. Joseph was captivated by both the strange circumstances of their meeting and tameness of a creature born to such a formidable breed. Since she wouldn't speak, he'd spend hours telling stories, talking about himself, showing her the interesting things he'd found. He even gave her a name: *Yvette*.

An inseparable pair, they did everything together. Over time Yvette began to grow out of her fearful nature, even learning to speak. As long as they were together, Joseph was convinced nothing could stop them. But of course, he was much too inexperienced to consider the possibility that something might come between him and his beloved she-wolf.

Eventually their roving brought them across the path of a small marauding band, led by a vigilante wolfess named Desdemona who was convinced that the nearby wolf packs were oppressive, jeopardizing the welfare of loners like her. Her goal was simple, steal from the well-to-do and feed the hungry. Yvette was enthralled from the very beginning. Though Joseph was skeptical of Desdemona, he couldn't bring himself to refuse his friend when she wanted to join. It didn't take long for Yvette to find her place in the ragtag bunch of renegades. They were wolves, like her, and seemed eager to welcome her as a sister-in-arms. Within the security of a family, she grew bold, arrogant even, showing a side of herself Joseph hadn't even known existed. The she-wolf began to volunteer for raids, choosing increasingly dangerous targets and finding a sense of empowerment in doing so. Worried that these actions would only lead to bloodspill, Joseph refused to participate the attacks, following them only when Yvette took part to ensure her safety. He was at a loss for how make her understand his concerns, and found that when he tried she only seemed to resent it. The fox was confused, hurt even, but still much too smitten with her to realize what was happening.

Eventually his worst fears were realized. Yvette participated in an attack on a very large, very aggressive clan. Joseph followed, as he always did. Desdemona's band had been harassing this particular territory for quite a while, and the pack was beginning to organize itself against the raids. This time, they were ready for the bandits. Ambushing the small group and catching them hopelessly outnumbered, tt quickly became apparent the pack was not interested in taking prisoners. Instead of fleeing at Des's call, however, Yvette insisted on fighting back; Joseph had no choice but to stay by her side.  As her comrades fell around her, Yvette, who had once lamented killing even birds, set upon her attackers with a bloodlust. Cursing the pack for murderers and thieves, the she-wolf abandoned any care for self-preservation and threw herself at the 'enemy.' In the chaos one of the pack wolves managed to catch hold of the fox, who barely managed to escape the fearsome jaws, rattled and knocked senseless by their attack. Helpless and wounded, Joseph lost consciousness then.

When he came back around, none of Desdemona's wolves who had chosen to stay lived. Yvette's body was mutilated almost beyond recognition. There were the bodies of two pack wolves near her, and even in a feverish daze, it was obvious to him what had happened. He never returned to Des or her vigilantes, instead saying goodbye to his lover's corpse and leaving the territory far behind him. He's unsure how many of Des's other raiders survived the attack, nor does he care to find out.

While open about his origins, Joseph tends to romanticize it and avoids blaming those he cared about for their crimes. He is especially prone to making excuses for Yvette, despite the fact that her choices and change of character were clearly deliberate.

## Group History

Joseph entered the Domain for a fresh start. Upon his arrival, he discovered the pack Aryn was embroiled in a bitter conflict when Bloom accidentally crossed the border while hunting and was taken captive. Joseph took it upon himself to try and talk some sense into Athena, confronting her and insisting that her stubbornness was only going to cause more problems with Blutwald, but she would have none of it, insisting that she was standing her ground for the sake of her packmates' safety.

Joseph kept a close eye on developments as Athena went to forge an alliance with Vale, preparing for the worst. The worst would indeed arrive, and Joseph fled Aryn's lands to escape the conflict. Once outside of Aryn, he met Polaris and Fable. He explained that Aryn and Blutwald were going to war, prompting Polaris to go to her Blutwalder family's aid.

When the Blutwald-Aryn war reached its end, however, Joseph felt comfortable returning to his Arynian companions, visiting Athena's new litter. When not visiting with his friends, Joseph was exploring and meeting many other creatures, from hedgehogs, quails, and seagulls, to badgers (very unfriendly!) and other foxes! He rescued Talaendril from a badger and was immediately smitten by the pale-coated vixen.

After a few months, however, Joseph would find himself as more than a mere observer in another pack conflict.

As problems arose in Vale, Nyru sought out Athena to ask for her pack's aid. Unfortunately, she was intercepted by Ruffian, one of Vektren's wolves, who took on the mantle of an Arynian and told Nyru that Aryn was unwilling to go to Vale's aid, sending Nyru away. Joseph, privy to this conversation, knew he needed to inform Athena of the treachery, but Ruffian caught the fox and left him for dead. Fortunately, Talaendril was able to take care of him until he was well enough to get a message to Aryn, telling Echo what had happened.

Realizing that the only chance to stop Vektren might mean seeking out its roots, far outside of the Domain, Joseph, Talaendril, and another fox ally, Annastasia, come to the decision that they must travel abroad.

Though the three foxes have not been seen in the Domain since, though those they forged friendships with hold the hope they are still out there.

## Trivia

* Joseph has a crush on the fox Talaendril.
* Big-hearted, forever an optimist, it takes quite a lot to put a damper on the reynard's spirit. He can be quite philosophical in a non-fatalistic way, and is always focused on the road ahead - the "what could be." He can be exceedingly stubborn when it comes to moving forward, and values his ideals far more than his life. Though Joseph would not personally consider himself inspirational, the fox's predisposition is naturally to build up those around him. His unshakable devotion to nobility and good faith make others want to do believe in (and embody) the same ideals. On the flip side, this can blind Joseph to the worse qualities in his friends. Cunning as he might be, the fox puts a great deal of faith in those he cares about and trusts them to be as devoted to him as he is to them.
* Joseph possesses a wide variety of interests which include participating in riddle contests, climbing trees, saving damsels-in-distress, and digging. He has taken a special liking to Athena and her pack, and tends to act as an unofficial Ranger of Aryn, keeping them informed of any interesting things he comes across in his travels. As a fox he is in the unique position to hear and see things a wolf never would, making him an invaluable confidant to the small clan of wolves.

## Quotes

* "It was an honest mistake! Since when did you prefer fear instead of reason?" (to Athena about taking Bloom hostage, *Friendly Advice*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* WynBird's deviantART Gallery