Thunder Alto

## **Basic Information**

**Full Name:** Thunder Alto

**Nickname:** Thunder

**Birthday:** October 13th 831

**Species:** Kodin (Canine)

**Purity:** 65%

**Gender:** Male he/him

**Height:** 5 foot 4

**Sexuality:** Heterosexual

**Languages Spoken:** Standard, Snarrel, Lupin, Whispers

## **Personality**

**Likes:** Reading, Family, Animals, Children

**Dislikes:** Demons, Bears, The dark, Storms

**Fears/Phobias:** The Dark

Thunder is a very timid and cautious person. He’s always the first one to question someone or something suspicious, even if his concerns are mild. This leads him to be more suspicious of things than he probably should be, but he just can’t help it. Past traumas have made him wary of everything and everyone. While he wants to stick up for the people he cares about, his own insecurities get in the way of it. He’ll often try to do things the easy way to avoid the fear of failure.

   Generally speaking Thunder is a people pleaser. He’d rather suck up to someone he considers “above” him than risk making himself unlikable. Unless it’s bringing physical harm to him or his friends, Thunder has no issue letting someone walk all over him for the sake of keeping the peace. More often than not this winds up in him being in a bad situation, but his fears and insecurities prevent him from avoiding being taken advantage of until it’s too late. Still, it’s not all bad. Thunder is extremely kind and empathetic, sometimes to the point he’ll put his own needs aside to help someone else out.

## **Abilities**

**Strengths:** Loyalty

**Weaknesses:** Overly cautious

**Weapons/Tools:** Rapier

While he’s not the best at killing demons, Thunder’s past experience hunting them has taught him all about the proper way to identify a demon and it’s class. He’s also pretty good at gauging just how dangerous one is by it’s behaviours and intelligence.

## **Health**

**Addictions:** None

**Mental Illnesses:** Anxiety

**Physical Illnesses:** None

**Disabilities:** None

**Allergies:** None

## **Backstory**

Thunder was born in Wolvern Valley in a small settlement known as Silvermoon. His father was the Guildmaster of the local demon hunting guild, and right from the start Thunder was indoctrinated into it. Wolvern Valley has always had a demon problem given it’s elevation and proximity to the mountain range. His family had been held in high regard for several years because of their hand at snuffing out the majority of the Valley’s demon problems, and Thunder was more or less destined to take his father’s place in the guild once he was old enough.

Of course, growing up Thunder never really had any interest in hunting demons. As time went on his family grew. At first it was a new baby sister, then it was two, and then three more. His sisters got to stay home with his mother; spending their days doing housework or playing outside. Thunder always wanted to join them, but he’d constantly be pulled back to the guild. No matter how much he protested he’d always end up back at the guild. His father had a reputation to keep up, after all. Most of Thunder’s days were spent sparring, learning how to identify a demon, learning how to set traps, and, of course, out in the Valley exterminating any demons that happened to cross his path.

His father had the heart of a warrior, but Thunder just couldn’t relate. He’d much prefer to stay home with his mother and his ever growing band of sisters. It didn’t matter to him if cooking or cleaning wasn’t “manly”, as his father put it. His father put far too much emphasis on the physical side of things, whereas Thunder has always valued family and his relationships far more. It just wasn’t rewarding to spend all day out in a field by himself; hoping to catch a fleeting glimpse of something that could possibly be a threat. It was much more rewarding to bond with his sisters by helping them cook dinner or repairing rips or tears in their clothing.

The way of life in Wolvern Valley is often considered to be more archaic and outdated than most of Mirror Domain. At least, it always had been for Kodin. Where most Kodin tried to act civil, the Kodin and Satyr of Wolvern Valley were far more feral and aggressive. Males tended to be dominant, which was why Thunder had always had so much pressure put on him to not show any weakness. He couldn’t show his soft side because it’d make the family as a whole look weaker by comparison.

Time went on, and his father only became more overbearing in his attempts to mold Thunder into the ideal demon hunter. He’d taken to berating Thunder for his interests and scolding him for spending too much time at home. Eventually he was taken out of school in order to devote more of his time to the guild. Nothing he ever did was good enough for his father. Kill a demon? You should have killed two. Plus your technique was sloppy, you could have gotten yourself killed. Next time be more careful! It was hard to hear, and it only made Thunder become more anxious about his performance. This only made him worse, as he’d focus more on his fathers words rather than the task at hand. He’d get hurt more often, which only led to his father becoming more upset.

The year Thunder turned seven was also the year his younger brother, Raider, was born. From the very beginning the two didn’t get along. Sure, Thunder was used to taking care of his younger siblings. At that time he was the oldest of six, with five younger sisters and the new younger brother, but there was something different with Raider. Ever since he was old enough to walk and talk he was the family's golden child. Raider actually wanted to work at the guild with his father and his older brother, and that alone made his father favour him over Thunder. And why wouldn’t he? For a family that values demon hunting so much it was only natural that the favourite would be a natural born demon hunter. At least, that’s how Thunder always saw things.

Raider proved to be a constant pain in Thunder’s side. He always sided with their father, he was seemingly a natural at everything he was taught, and he’d always rub this fact in Thunder’s face. If he’d just listen to dad he wouldn’t have missed the shot. If he didn’t hang out with the girls so much he’d get more practice. On and on and on, day in and day out. The verbal abuse from his father was bad enough, but now it was two against one. It was getting harder and harder to put up with it all.

Still, while his father and his brother gave him a hard time, Thunder genuinely loved his mother and sisters. They’d stick up for him whenever he was at home, although his sisters were just as scared of their father as he was. He appreciated their efforts, at least. On the rare days Thunder wasn’t at the guild he’d spend his time off hanging out with his sisters. It seemed they were so far removed from the demon hunting side of the family that a day with them seemed almost alien to him. It was refreshing, to say the least. Spending a day making dolls for his sisters, playing pretend, or just lounging around and talking to them.

As he grew older Thunder did his best to keep a distance from his father. It was easy to slip away from a hunt with Raider around, given that his father’s attention would more often than not be centered on him. While those two were wandering around the valley hunting Demons, Thunder would be at home with his sisters. They’d often sneak off and hand out somewhere far from home, just to avoid getting Thunder in trouble. If he got home after his father, he always had an excuse ready. He didn’t leave during the hunt, he was preoccupied with a demon on the run. That’s why he’d been gone for so long. His sisters would always back him up on this, considering it was the only way they could really protect him. Life continued on this way for years. Thunder would slink away and spend the day away from his father, only to return home hours later. Every day was more or less the same. Eventually Thunder learned to tune out his father’s words, and as a result he became apathetic towards life.

Thunder eventually turned sixteen. His father had gotten sick and tired of him shirking his work, so he dragged him out into the marsh for a supervised hunt. Wolvern Valley had been getting an increase in High Class demons in the recent years, and Raider and his father had been spending a lot of time tracking them down in hopes of exterminating them. Thunder really didn’t want to tag along. High class demons are often hard to distinguish from mortals, and Thunder didn’t want to accidentally hurt a real person or be swayed by these demons. Still, despite his protests, he was dragged along anyway.

Hours went by as the three Kodin stalked the deeper parts of the Valley in search of this group of demons. The “Shadow Band”, as his father put it. It was hot, and the smell of rot and oil filled the area making it nearly impossible to track anything via scent. Raider and their father weren’t deterred by this, but Thunder was rapidly losing any hope of finding anything aside from ducks or frogs that lingered in the area. So, as usual, he stopped his search for demons and began looking for any opportunity to slip away.

It wasn’t hard. Any little sound or movement spotted in the distance drew the attention of his family, so while they were preoccupied staring at the 800th frog jumping around the oil Thunder slipped underneath a long hanging tree and disappeared into it’s thick black leaves. A few minutes later and he was completely out of sight. By this point they were several hours away from home, but this fact didn’t stop him from wandering off. If anything, the walk back would just be more time away from his father. So, Thunder began the long trek back to the settlement by himself.

The walk back home started off well, but after an hour or so it began to get darker outside. The sun was beginning to set, and the darkness of the area was beginning to creep in. Most of Wolvern Valley was dark to begin with, with the regions oil staining plants and other wildlife, but the darkness was even more eerie when he was all alone like this. Alone, in the middle of the marsh, hours away from any signs of civilization. Thunder was starting to get anxious, but he was sure everything would work out in the end. He knew how to navigate the valley, so there were no doubts in his mind he’d be able to find his way back home. It was just a matter of shaking off the anxiety.

Another hour went by, and by this time it was completely dark. The sun had disappeared completely, and the orangish hue of sundown had been replaced by the jet black void of night. Thunder could hear the faint sounds of something splashing in the mud behind him. But looking around he couldn’t see anything, so he wrote it off as another animal. Maybe the nocturnal wildlife was beginning to wake up and the noise he was making scared them off? Still, the noise continued. Steadily getting closer and closer as time went on.

Just before the panic was able to set in, something came up from behind and shoved Thunder to the ground. The fall wasn’t too rough, as most of the ground was soft and muddy, but it was enough to disorient him. Before he knew it there was a sharp searing pain in his back as something grabbed him from behind and began dragging him closer. It was a massive demon the size of a bear, with three long thick claws on each of its hands. It’s eyes were emotionless, and the only thing Thunder could see in them was his own reflection.

Once it’d registered what was happening, Thunder desperately began to pull himself away from this beast of a demon, all the while shouting for help. The demon, of course, wasn’t going to let its prey go without a fight. It opened it’s massive jaws and clamped down hard on his hand, tugging at his skin until it was torn away from his body. The more he struggled the angrier the demon got. Eventually it reared back its claws and slashed Thunder hard against the face. The force behind the smack was immense, and it was enough to cause Thunder to blackout briefly. The last thing he could remember was a pain in his throat as the demon clamped down on his neck.

Thunder woke up the next morning half buried in the mud. There was blood everywhere, and his entire body ached. He wasn’t entirely sure how he’d survived, but there he was. Beaten, scarred, and bloody, but alive nonetheless. What his father had told him about demons began flooding back to him. Upper class demons didn’t usually kill mortals in order to eat them. Upper class demons, like the demons he’d been dragged out here to hunt, killed mortals in order to protect their territory. Send a message to other mortals that this is their land, and that mortals aren’t welcome there. He wasn’t attacked to be eaten, he was attacked to send a message. It was a failed assassination, so to speak.

Whatever the reason behind the attack was didn’t matter now, though. What mattered now was getting home before whatever demon attacked him realised he wasn’t dead. It wasn’t that much father before he’d reach the outskirts of the settlement, but getting there was excruciatingly painful. Everything hurt, and the amount of blood he’d lost was starting to make him lightheaded. Still, he pressed on, and a few hours later he found himself stumbling through town making his way back home.

The sense of community had always been strong in Wolvern Valley. Once he was spotted, some of the town residents came to his aid and brought Thunder into the local Apothecary in order to patch him up. He ended up staying here for several days while he recovered, during which time his family was contacted and brought over to visit. His mother and siblings were all relieved to see him alive, his brother included, but his father was furious. He went off on how stupid Thunder was for going off on his own and how dangerous these demons were. He was lucky to even be alive, and if he’d just stuck with the group this never would have happened. Thunder had gone against everything his father had ever taught him just to get away, and his father found that more than disgraceful.

Thunder’s recklessness had enraged his father to his breaking point. He’d gone against a family honored tradition, and as a result almost got himself killed. His father was fed up with it all. If Thunder had no interest in the family business, then he had no place in this family. Right then and there he was disowned, despite his mother’s protests. Nothing was going to change his mind. After his long and drawn out tirade, his father stormed off, leaving Thunder all alone at the Apothecary.

Thunder’s recovery went horribly. Not only was he stressed about his family situation, but the attack had left lingering mental scars as well. There were many sleepless nights as Thunder lied awake, frozen in fear that another demon may jump out at him from the shadows. The sight and scent of the oil in the area only made things worse. It made his fears seem far more real, despite the fact he was still in the settlement. He desperately wanted to return home where he knew it was safe, but his father wouldn’t allow it. Once he was well enough to leave the apothecary he was chased off in any attempt to go back.

The next couple months were spent bumming around the city, trying anything he could think of to appease his father. Anything to go back home, where he wouldn’t have to live in fear of the wilderness surrounding him. But all his attempts were futile. Occasionally he was able to talk with one of his siblings and get an item or two, but once his father caught on to this they all began to avoid him. They didn’t want to, of course, but they also didn’t want to upset their father any more. It was beginning to look like a lost cause. At a certain point it all became too much. Thunder couldn’t look at the valley anymore without the paranoia setting in, and he was unable to return to the one place within it he viewed as a safe haven. He didn’t feel safe or welcome here anymore, so he began to search for a way out.

Wolvern Valley didn’t have much interaction with the outside world, but it did have a couple trade routes with nearby countries. With the little belongings he was able to get from his siblings, and a few spare coins he’d managed to scrounge up, Thunder set off to join one of these caravans and leave this place behind once and for all. He didn’t know where he was going, but that didn’t matter. All he knew was that he couldn’t stay here any more. Living in fear was unbearable, and Thunder couldn’t put up with the mental anguish any more. He needed a fresh start, so he set out to find one.

The caravan he’d managed to get on was a trade route to a country known as Cawlu. A very faraway place full of a peculiar bunch of creatures known as Sinvian. Sinvian weren’t very well known in Wolvern Valley, and it took him quite a long time to learn to differentiate between their kind and normal birds. That being said, his time in Cawlu was relatively short. Most of his time there was spent getting things like identification and other legal documents, which Wolvern Valley never felt the need to provide. Once he’d gotten that in order, Thunder began researching better places to live.

Mirror Domain was a much bigger place than he’d originally thought, and in his research he found a lot of places that seemed like they could be a good match. Places like Dibrook full of other Canines, or places like Volven full of Satyr. All of these countries seemed like they’d be a good fit, but Thunder couldn’t convince himself they were the right place. They were all too much like home, and that wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted familiarity, but if he were to move to a carbon copy of Wolvern Valley it’d defeat the purpose of leaving it.

Eventually Thunder learned of a country known as Patallon. It was a country full of Kodin, but unlike himself these Kodin were of the Vulpine variety. He’d never met one before, but they seemed similar enough to the point he was sure they’d be able to coexist. Bear minimum he’d be able to understand them, unlike the Sinvian in Cawlu who’s language was alien to him. So, after working for a few months in Cawlu and saving everything he could, Thunder began looking for ways to move in to Patallon permanently.

Getting there was one thing. It was easy enough to find an airship with a trade route there. But that wasn’t the issue. The real issue was trying to fit in. Right off the bat Thunder stuck out like a sore thumb. Kodin in Patallon had very distinctive colours and patterns, and most Vulpines in a settlement were very similar appearance wise. No matter what town he ended up in he stood out. Not only that, but his lasting scars from the attack made him a lot more intimidating than he already was, which only made the locals even more standoffish.

Thunder lived in Patallon for a couple of years, never really staying in the same town for too long. While he liked the peace of mind he got here, not having to worry about the nightmares brought on by the dark swamp he once resided in, he didn’t like being all alone. Night after night he wondered if there were any possible way he’d be able to mend things with his father. If there was some possible way he could “prove himself” to him, and that if he did if he’d be allowed back home. Going from being the oldest of eight to living all alone was a huge change, and Thunder didn’t like it. He missed his family, save for his father.

Time dragged on, and Thunder’s drive to “prove himself” only got stronger. The whole reason he was kicked out in the first place was because he refused to participate in the family business, so naturally if he wanted to prove his worth to his father all he had to do was start killing demons. Of course, he couldn’t just kill any demon. Anyone in Mirror Domain could kill a low class pest, and his father wouldn’t stand for that. If he was going to do this, he was going to do it the right way. He’d find a high class demon, kill it, and then bring it’s head or its hide or whatever he could grab as proof of his kill to his father. Then, if all went well, he could go back home and he’d never have to be alone like this ever again.

With this new goal in mind, Thunder really began picking up the pace when it came to his training. He went to a couple of local demon hunting guilds, learned to properly wield a rapier, and slowly started working his way up to killing larger and larger demons. A lot of this training came rather naturally, mostly due to the fact he had prior context. After only a few months Thunder was pretty comfortable going out by himself and exterminating the more pest-like demons. Of course, low class pests weren’t enough.

Patallon was extremely close to the Bexstone mountains, and as a result of this demons were fairly common. Not only that, but the Bexstone mountains had some of the smartest and most dangerous demons in all of Mirror Domain. Smart enough to stay away from mortal settlements, that’s for sure. If Thunder really wanted a trophy kill, something he could proudly show off to his father, he’d have to venture into the mountain range and kill one of these higher demons.

Thunder wasn’t naive, however. Even people who didn’t live near the mountains knew that venturing into their borders was a death sentence. If he was going to do this, he had to be prepared. He had to find a guide or a partner or, ideally, a band of demon hunters that could offer him some protection. But, no matter where he went or how he phrased his question, he just couldn’t seem to convince anyone. Not only that, but every person he asked had new and more terrifying reasons not to venture up there at all. All of these tales were really getting into his head, and Thunder was more disheartened than ever.

Eventually Thunder decided that maybe it was time to give up. Throw in the towel on this wild goose chase and just accept the fact he was never going back home. It was a soul crushing realization, but one he had to come to eventually. From what he’d been told he was trying to do the impossible! Why even bother pushing on? So, Thunder decided to stop his search and settle right where he was, regardless of how well he fit in.

The town he had found himself in was the town of Westgate. It was a fairly small town that was completely overrun with chickens. The only real thing of interest here was a vague local legend about a blue magic mage, but Thunder had never really been interested in magic so he’d never bothered to look into it further. All of the Kodin here had snow white fur. Thunder stood out here more than he ever had anywhere else in Patallon, but at this point he’d stopped caring. The more he moved, the more he was alone. If he wanted to build relationships with anyone he’d have to stay in one place, and that place happened to be Westgate.

His time in Westgate was short, but while he was there he managed to get a job at the local granary. He mostly helped feed the absurd amount of chickens that roamed around with any of the excess grain that wasn’t deemed good enough to sell. It didn’t pay much, and it was pretty labour intensive, but Thunder didn’t mind. He got to know his boss and the other workers there and, while they weren’t friends, it was a nice chance of pace to be on a first name basis with someone. Even if it was as simple as a hello every shift or small talk on the off chance they ran into each other in town.

A common issue around Patallon was it’s ravenging windstorms. Over his years of living there Thunder had encountered more than his fair share of them. Westgate was no exception. It had it’s fair share of these storms, and more often than not when they began to kick up Thunder was on shift. These storms made it extremely hard to see, and even harder to navigate. One night, while Thunder was making his way home from across town, a particularly bad storm began to brew.

Thunder’s job required him to wander all across Westgate and beyond to feed these feral chickens. If they didn’t get fed regularly they’d wreak havoc on the town, breaking into farms and shops in order to find a meal. They weren’t tame, but they’d grown overly dependent on the food provided by the town to the point where many had lost the ability to fend for themselves. Thunder was well over an hour away from home when the storm began stirring, and before he got the chance to get a move on the dust and dirt being kicked up had shrouded the town in a massive smokescreen. He knew it’d be impossible to find his way back home, but he couldn’t just sit around outside. He’d be blown away! So, Thunder stumbled around the area in search of any building to bum around in until the storm passed.

This storm was worse than Thunder had anticipated. It’d started off as a cloud of dust, but the longer he was outside the stronger the winds got. At a certain point he even found himself being knocked down and blown over, which only made it harder to navigate the place. All around him people were scrambling to close up their shops and secure their belongings, all the while trying to keep their footing. It was late by this point, but Thunder managed to drag himself into the local Tavern and shake some of the dust off himself.

Of course, he was by no means the only person in this circumstance. The tavern was pretty busy, and by the time he got there it was at full capacity. He tried to haggle with the tavern owner, asking if he could at least hang around in the lobby for the night, but he wasn’t having it. His pleading got him nowhere, and eventually it looked like he’d be stuck blindly wandering around outside until the storm passed.

At least, that’s what he thought at first. Right as he was about to give up Thunder was approached by a Kodin. Another canine, like himself. During his time in Patallon he’d never seen another canine, so her approaching him like this caught him off guard. The Kodin introduced herself as Sonie.

Surprisingly, Sonie had approached Thunder to offer him her room. She began to explain why she didn’t need it, but everything she said was vague and uninformative. He just couldn’t fathom why anyone would willingly wander out in a storm like this, especially given how bad this one in particular was. Not only that, but even if she was ok with it, he’d feel bad leaving someone out in the elements like that.

Eventually, after quite a bit of pressing, the truth came out. Sonie had come to Patallon in order to travel to the Bexstone mountains. Why she was headed there was still pretty vague, but from what Thunder could gather she was in search of the alleged “riches” that people claimed were up there. Thunder had long since abandoned his quest to the mountains, but now it seemed he’d been given the perfect opportunity. The two talked a bit more, and after Thunder explained his own vague goals they came to an agreement that they’d travel together, at least for the time being.

After the storm passed and an awkward night of sharing a room with someone who was essentially a stranger, the two set off the next morning to gather supplies for their trip. Sonie didn’t seem all that eager to go on a supply run, but Thunder had always been taught that overpreparing was better than under preparing. If he was really going to risk his life traveling up into the mountains, he was going to have everything he needed. As they traveled through the town picking up supplies, they eventually ran into another uncommon sight in Patallon.

While they were at the local guild in search of supplies, Thunder spotted a Lesser Dragon. He was rambling on about some sort of airship, and from what he could gather it seemed as if the ship had crashed not too far from here. The Lesser Dragon’s name was Taxton, and he’d come to the guild in search of help. Of course, the guild wasn’t all that interested in blindly wandering up into the mountain range just to look for a crew that’d probably been killed in the crash anyway. So, seeing as they were headed up there anyway, Thunder offered to help search for this missing ship.

After getting some vague directions, Sonie and Thunder headed off in search of the crash sight. Taxton had been blown off of the ship far before it’d crashed, but he had a general idea of their course and where they likely ended up. Neither of the two Kodin really knew where they were going, but after a while of hiking up they began to see small signs of the crash. Bits and pieces of debris strewn about the rocky terrain, which they eventually followed back to the crash sight itself.

The scene they were greeted to upon getting there was a sight to behold. Mangled bodies surrounding the heavily damaged ship, belongings strewn everywhere, chunks of the landscape permanently destroyed. At this point Thunder had stopped caring about his own goals. There’d always be time to kill a demon, but if there were survivors here they needed help now. So, he began making his way nearer to the ship in order to look over the bodies of the crew. Taxton no doubt had a tally of everyone on board, so it’d be beneficial to identify these people. That way they wouldn’t overlook anyone.

Suddenly, Thunder heard someone shouting. He yelped in surprise as a small blue and white Whiver darted out of the wreckage and began demanding they drop everything they’d stolen. She’d been badly injured from the crash, and her speech was slurred and confusing when she spoke. It was pretty obvious she wasn’t in the best state of mind, so Thunder brushed off her accusations as confusion.

The Whiver was very obviously in distress, but neither him nor Sonie could get a grasp on what she was trying to tell them. Sonie was at a loss as for what to do, but over the years Thunder had learned how to manage children and their temper tantrums. This Whiver wasn’t a child, but the same rules applied to everyone. He began to camly explain the situation, reassuring her they hadn’t come to rob the place like she’d thought. This helped calm her down, but staying calm in a situation like this was difficult. He hadn’t even been in the crash and Thunder was having trouble keeping his cool.

The Whiver was badly injured. Thunder knew she couldn’t stay up here for long, so he suggested they take her back to town in order to patch up her injuries before they got any worse. Of course, she wasn’t all that convinced. This Whiver was insistent on finding the rest of the crew. They had to find the captain, and they had to find her brother Jack. Out of all the people on board, those were the two she was most worried about. So, instead of heading back down the mountainside the three lingered around the crash site looking for the remaining crew. They searched for hours, but by the end the captain and Jack were still nowhere to be seen. It was doubtful they’d survived, but the Whiver was insistent. If she’d managed to make it, they could have as well. They’d never know unless they found them.

During this search the group began to hear a shuffling sound coming from the north. The Whiver immediately began walking towards it, but Thunder and Sonie prevented her from doing so. She was too injured to put herself at risk like that. Demons were common up here, and there was no way to tell what was making the sound.

Thunder stayed behind with the Whiver and Sonie began to approach the sound. She poked her head behind a small alcove, and then immediately recoiled back in shock. She ran back to the group, telling them that it was time to leave, but the Whiver was insistent  on knowing what happened. Before either of the Kodin had a chance to stop her she scurried over to the alcove to take a look at things.

There, behind the alcove, was the mangled body of what was once the captain of the ship. It looked as if a demon had gotten to him, as his body was half eaten by whatever dragged it over here. The sight was far too much for the Whiver. Shortly after being dragged away from the horror show, she collapsed. She wasn’t unconscious, though. Not yet. The Whiver weakly began muttering incoherently, going on about how they had to find her brother, and that they couldn’t leave him behind. Sonie tried to get this Whiver’s name and offered to sniff around for him, but Thunder shot down the idea. Everyone was beginning to get tired, and he knew for a fact that’d make them easy targets to whatever was up here. It was time to head back to town.

The next week was chaotic, to say the least. The Whiver, who had since introduced herself as Bubble, was having her life fall apart around her; all the while Sonie was having what he could only describe as an existential crisis. Taxton wanted nothing to do with Bubble. If anything, it seemed he resented her for this crash, and the guild wouldn’t believe a single word she told them about why it’d happened in the first place. She was all alone.

Of course, despite the chaos, Thunder continued to hang around the two throughout the week. None of them had anyone anymore, and the more they got to know each other the more they began to realise they had things in common. It was far too much of a coincidence; the three of them meeting up like this. After years of being alone, it seemed as if life was throwing him a bone for once. These three could be friends. They were already becoming friends.

So, when the crash finally got cleaned up and the ship got repaired, Thunder accepted Bubble’s offer to become a crew member with no hesitation. Bubble wouldn’t be able to manage a ship that size on her own, and Thunder didn’t want to watch the only two people he’d been able to connect with over the years disappear over the horizon. It was a no brainer. Soon enough, the three were discussing plans to head back to Bubble’s home country to finish up the ship’s repairs and work out their plans for the future.

The three set off in Airship Valor for the very first time. The journey to Spracot was a bit hectic, to say the least. Not only was the ship relatively unstable, but the three very quickly came to the realization that none of them had any money. Thunder’s job at the granary never paid well, Sonie had been homeless for years, and Bubble had just lost everything in the crash. If they were going to continue living on the ship, they were going to need a way to make money.

Money had never really been an issue to Thunder. Wolvern Valley didn’t have things like property taxes, and his home never required the kind of expensive maintenance that an Airship did. There was also the issue of Identification and the cost of getting the paperwork necessary to travel Mirror Domain like this. It was disheartening, to say the least, but eventually Sonie came up with an idea.

In the past Bubble’s father had used the Airship as part of a cargo shipping company, but Bubble was adamantly against that idea. She wanted to explore the world and see what it had to offer. Sonie, over the course of her years as a nomad, had heard countless tales of valuable artifacts and relics. She suggested that they took her knowledge on these items, Bubble’s skills as an airship pilot, and Thunder’s combat abilities to seek out these items and sell them for a profit. It was a bit far fetched, but none of them could come up with any better ideas, so the three settled on becoming treasure hunters. So, that’s what the three set off to do. All they had to do first was make it to Spracot in one piece, and they’d be able to start their adventures on Airship Valor for real.

## **Relationships**

**Sonie Jewel:** A trusted friend. Sonie may be a bit rash or unpredictable at times, but Thunder has always enjoyed her company. Her grand tales of adventure are always fun to listen to, even if a lot of them are overly exaggerated. Sonie’s always had a different outlook on life, and being able to see the world in a new perspective is refreshing. On top of that, the two share similar family situations. They have a deeper understanding of each other, which Thunder likes. Her knowledge of his situation has helped her snap him back to reality when he starts getting depressed or anxious.

**Bubble Longear:** While they are close, Bubble and Thunder are polar opposites. Where Thunder takes things slow and works out his problems methodically, Bubble will barrel into a situation, guns blazing with no plan or forethought. She’s rash, and at some times her hyperactive nature can come across as annoying. They have their differences, but at the end of the day it’s good to have someone like Bubble around. Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith, and that’s something Thunder would have never done without Bubble’s help. Because of her he’s been able to do things he never would have even considered on his own, for better or for worse