Ruffian

Regina (Adoptive Mother, NPC)

## Application Sheet

Ruffian was a white-furred male wolf with sandy gray accents on his head and back, bearing serious burns on the right side of his face. After escaping a tyrannical pack and building a connection with a she-wolf named Moth, Ruffian entered the Domain and joined Vektren. He rose in the ranks as a Magister under the tutelage of his (unknown) brother Anders, but hated the wolf he was becoming in the pack and departed when a chance arose, along with Octavia. Neither has been seen since. Ruffian was created and RP'd by speckledplanet.

## Personality

* ***Compassionate.*** Ruffian is built with a level of understanding some may overlook the first time meeting him. He enjoys bonding with others, and his compassion reaches out to his work ethic too. In... less conventional ways.
* ***Decisive.*** There are no 'what ifs' or 'buts' in Ruffian's vocabulary. He either does what he says, or he doesn't say it at all.
* ***Dependable.*** While Ruffian may be harsh to understand both mentally and emotionally, he is a wolf one can rely on in times of need. Honest and to the point, he does what he can for those he likes.
* ***Sensitive***. Even though Ruffian is built with thick skin, certain phrases or comments can make him visibly stall. He'd never cry in front of someone else, though.
* ***Silver-tongued***. A charmer, really. In an odd, grumbly sort of way. He can use his voice to his advantage if he really needs the information shucked out of someone.
* ***Secretive.*** It's not that he doesn't like sharing his past, but some of it was too rash, so his mind purposely blots it out. He'll make up excuse to not talk about it if he can.
* ***Harsh***. Ruffian doesn't stand for those who don't do their damn best. He's rather ruthless with himself and those in his field, for he doesn't see it being a benefit if it doesn't get done properly. And his definition of 'proper' is, well...
* ***Coarse***. He's loud. Loud in the sense that his opinions aren't coated, nor is his less than gentlemanly way of speaking. In other words, he'll curse like a pirate.
* ***Restless.*** Work work work. Ruffian has a hard time keeping his focus on one thing at a time, but if it captures his interest then there's no way his mind will actually settle until he figures it out.

## Pre-Group History

Ruffian was originally born to a lone wolf mother whose name is lost to him. She had abandoned him at birth, and it was Regina (Lykos' mother) who found and adopted him. He was given no name for quite a long while, but eventually when he learned to speak he'd come to know himself as "Foster", a word directed at him from the rest of the pack for as long as he could remember. He spent his childhood in the Pack of Somnus under the care of Regina and the other wolves. He was reckless as a child and would often put himself in harms way, which is why, when he was of age he became a pupil under wolves who lead scouting missions outside of the territory.

It was during his time as a fairly young wolf that he had met Octavia, a soundless child that was a bit older than he. She barely spoke to him, to anyone really, and Foster's loud mouth and constant shenanigans eventually pulled Octavia into them too. Foster and Octavia grew close, like brother and sister, and when they weren't training within the ranks of the marksmen and scouts, they were reckless kids who made their own brand of fun.

There was battle that broke out between the two packs had been planned by Gideon, a spy that held ranks within Somnus for quite some time. Foster was not there for the intensely bloody war that broke out, but he knew of it well for when he returned, it was he who had to tell Octavia what happened.

But when Regina had left and been captured by The Alto Empire, Foster did not learn of her fate for some time, and by then Erebus had gained control of the pack. His rule was brutal, more careless and alarming than Regina's, and Foster did not care for their "king" in the slightest.

It was when he was selected as a part of the scouting team that he was sent near the border to see what had happened. But there at the border of the Empire, they were ambushed. The scouting team had been slaughtered, and Foster (who was still a pupil at the time) was captured without much injury done to him. Perhaps an act of mercy, or perhaps an attempt to influence a mind not yet developed.

Upon his capture, Foster was thrown into isolation within the heart of Lorenzo's pack. During this time his reckless nature had not yet stalled, and he spent the majority of his time howling and tossing slander to passing Alto wolves. But within that time, he learned of two names: Vera and Lykos. Vera, the daughter of Lorenzo and Lykos, the 'King's lowly servant.' Foster would try plenty to gain the attention of either of them, and part of him seemed to succeed in side-glances or what have you from Lykos. The child was still young, much younger than Foster, so they never truly spoke.

Time had passed in slow ticks for Foster, and in between the merciless questioning of his origin and the pack's whereabouts, Foster learned that his temper and tongue were his best weapons. He had been dubbed 'a ruffian' more than once by the Alto wolves, mostly the higher-ups and those who tried to question him. And thus, the name Ruffian was born once he reached the age of a young adult.

Eventually the Alto wolves had given up on getting much out of Ruffian, and he was ignored all together. It remained that way for too long, and between simple passes of food and water and the news from some unsavoury sources, Ruffian's loneliness became his defense. He relied on his mind to occupy him at all times, and his sight and sound was the most important thing when it came to pulling apart what he could see from behind the bars. Until one night.

A fire had raged through the Alto Empire, seemingly out of nowhere, and everyone and their grandmothers were trapped inside the massive walls of heat and flame. The screams of agony printed themselves into Ruffian's mind, and eventually the sounds became too acute for him to handle. Weakened by the fire, his prison shattered and released him to the sea of flames. The only splice of freedom was through the burning brush that he remembered seeing Lykos peel through long ago, and so he ran. But the fire caught up with him and took away what was most precious to him; his senses.

Scorched to hell and back, Ruffian ran deliriously into the wilderness as far away from the inferno as possible. He could barely see or hear, and his breathing was ragged and torn, and any words he tried to utter were consumed by the wheeze of his throat. Eventually the wolf collapsed in the murk of a swamp.

When Ruffian came to, he spent a month or two alone and heading out into the area known as the Domain. Out there he came across a wolf called Moth. The wolf, young and nearly dying, had become a stable part of Ruffian's life from that point on. She both treated his wound and traveled with him, and he promised to find her a permanent home.

To this day, Ruffian wishes to find who took the most important things from him, and that has lead him to one pack in particular: Vektren.

## Group History

Ruffian and Moth stayed together for a few weeks, while Ruffian recovered from his injuries. The pair were accommodating of one another, and seemed to enjoy each other's company. Ruffian promised Moth he'd find her a pack, and she was seeking one in particular: Fellfang, her mother's pack. When she heard rumors of its location, Ruffian and Moth parted ways, with him searching out the fire starter who'd been responsible for *everything.* They said an amicable farewell.

Now alone, Ruffian approached the borders of Vektren. He kept to the shadows for a while, eventualy spotted by another loner named Ragweed. Both were debating whether to approach Vektren and ask to join, and perhaps unintentionally explained their motives for coming to such a place to one another as well. Ruffian wanted to find revenge, yes, but he also hoped to find Octavia.

Ultimately, he decided to join.

Mistress Hekate was willing to give the revenge-hungry Ruffian a chance. He was assigned to Lord Anders for training as a Magister. He'd only been there a few short days when the Mistress called a curfew. Irritated by the idea of being a prisoner *again*, Ruffian was disdainful of the command, and ranted about it to Anders. The elder Magister sent his apprentice to gather some herbs and stop complaining.

While out collecting herbs, Ruffian was met by Seraph. The she-wolf offered to help him find the herbs he was looking for, distracting him from his pouting. On another outing, after becoming just a *bit* more familiar with herbs, he stumbled upon a familiar face - Moth. She told him she'd found Fellfang, and was shocked to learn he was in Vektren. He promised to reconnect properly, and explain what had been going on in his life, but not at this time - he asked her to return in a week.

They both kept true to their word and Ruffian got to properly reunite with Moth. He'd missed her, and she'd missed him. She encouraged him to rest alongside her, enjoy peace that he never really got to know within Vektren's boundaries. They would continue to arrange meetings, he was sure of it.

Since he was going to be staying here in Vektren, he might as well put forth some effort in becoming a Magister. He didn't want to just be an errand-boy, he wanted to learn more about diseases, poisons, and more. He found a dead raven and took it back to the Nest to examine it, but was interrupted by a young pup named Annabelle. She wanted to see what kind of things Ruffian was looking for in the innards, and pestered him to learn more! He was patient, though, and curbed his tongue to the best of his ability.

When he wasn't honing his craft as a Magister, Ruffian went to the reeducation pits to visit Octavia. He was stunned when, one day, while delivering food, another wolf emerged from the shadows of the pits. He introduced himself as Jerikoh, and asked about Ruffian's motives. Ruffian dropped the food down, reporting that it was for Octavia, but Jerikoh could have some too. He wished Jerikoh the best of luck getting out of the pits (being reeducated) and departed.

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## Trivia

* Ruffian's tail is naturally very short. It doesn't go past the bottom of his rump  when relaxed.
* He has less hearing on his right side due to the burn, so he'll often turn his entire head in order to hear when someone is talking.
* He has a snaggletooth on the left side.
* Although Lykos was his adoptive mother's child, he never considered Lykos kin - Octavia, however, he considered to be a sister, despite not being Regina's daughter.
* He loved Moth.

## Quotes

* "If you're going to ask about the face, do it now before y'get distracted by something else. I only answer that question once. No repeats." (to Ragweed, *What Lurks in the Shadows*)
* "My *oh so inspiring* boss has me deemed his errand boy, it so happens. Came out here to look for some herbs, found a thicket of ivy, and now I'm contemplating poisoning myself with it to end this sh\*t. Then again, I'd just be giving myself blisters. No fun." (to Seraph about non-poisonous ivy, *New Greetings*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* speckledplanet's deviantART Gallery