Meiling

## Application Sheet

Meiling was a dark gray she-wolf, a Tentakan who briefly lived in Chandor. She was mother to Qiang and considered herself the last living descendant of old Tentaka. She disappeared from Tentaka shortly after she joined it, never to be seen again. She was designed by Wildfire-Tama, created and RP'd by WynBird.

## Personality

* ***Blunt.*** She's so old she doesn't see the point in wasting time on manners, and speaks whatever comes to mind - even when it contradicts a superior. Mei cares deeply for her packmates and as such, has decided to always tell them the truth. It's an unpopular habit which gets her into no end of trouble, but one that Mei likes to think she's at least grudgingly respected for.
* ***Brave.*** It could kill her, but she's got a paw in the grave already. And having spent most of her life alone in the high north, there are few dangers the coot is unfamiliar with. At this point in her life, she's more or less waiting to die and plans on enjoying what's left of her life, until then.
* ***Determined.*** If Mei has learned one thing in all her years, it's that being pig-headed can get you 9/10ths of the way anywhere. She is not one to lay down and give up, nor do extreme circumstances discourage her.
* ***Hard-working.*** A wolf with ethics, Meiling is tireless in keeping her duties as the last of her bloodline. She maintains a strict schedule and does not deviate despite her aging body.
* ***Impatient.*** Mei is too old to suffer fools, she expects you to pay attention and do your job right the first time. Those who do not meet this standard will be met with an extremely grumpy grandmother, who has no qualms about biting your ears.
* ***Sharp-witted.*** While everything else about her may be falling apart, Meiling's mind remains sharp and clear. She is a meticulous lore-keeper and (especially coupled with her impatience) an absolute nightmare to face in a battle of wits.
* ***Vulgar.*** That obscenity your kid learned? Mei taught it to them.

## Pre-Group History

Mei remembers little of her early life, partially due to age but mostly as a way of coping with the hand she'd been dealt. The only clear memories of her youth are the stories her own mother and grandmother told her - tales of an empire long faded into myth but kept alive through its lovingly maintained history. Mei's family considered it their solemn duty to remember and pass on the traditions of their ancestors, a task made all the more sacred with the belief that they were the last of their great bloodline. Mei's parents were rigorous in their tutelage and expected a great deal of their offspring. She was, after all, the last hope for a continuation of a legacy spanning back generations beyond counting.

Mei, however, did not find the same happiness upholding her family traditions. She wanted *more*. She wanted *freedom.* As she came of age, Mei found herself drawn to a strange loner. He haunted the borders and seemed equally curious about her. Breaking away from her family's strict controls was invigorating, reason enough for Mei to keep coming back to the border in search of the mysterious rogue. As these things often go, the two of them began a clandestine affair and it wasn't long before Mei found herself with child. Fearing the wrath of her family, Mei pleaded with her mate to take her and their unborn pups away from it all. He was all too happy to oblige.

But what Mei had thought would bring her freedom soon turned to bondage of another kind. Her mate, who had seemed to kind and generous at first, became controlling, possessive, violent. Mei's candid tongue which he once seemed to take such pleasure in became a vice that her mate would not tolerate. Though much of his memory has faded for her, Mei still recalls the cruelty of his voice and sting of untended wounds left on her then young body. She'd been blind, and now she was paying the price. Heavily pregnant, and with nowhere else to go, she was trapped. In time Mei learned to curb her more troublesome tendencies, even if she never truly lost her spirited nature.

After what seemed a lifetime of wandering, Mei's mate deemed it appropriate to settle for her to give birth. For most of the winter, she was kept holed away while he hunted for her and their newborns. She thought her captivity would never end. But she was wrong. Whether he died or abandoned her, Mei never knew. One day, the monster she had given herself to simply failed to return. Wasting no time once she'd spotted the opportunity, Meiling took her young children and fled back to the mountain home of her ancestors. It was a difficult journey to make in deep winter; only one of the pups survived the ordeal.

When she and her son finally returned to Tentaka, they found it abandoned. Mei mourned the lost opportunity to reconcile with her family but found new purpose in tutoring her son. Years passed. For many blessed summers, the pair enjoyed a peaceful life. Mei instructed him in the ways of their forefathers, instilling in him the respect for the land and history she had once scorned. The aging she-wolf dared to believe she would grow old in peace. And then fate once again dealt a harsh blow. Like his father before him, Mei's son simply vanished. No scent or sign, no goodbye. She looked for weeks, but was too feeble now to search in earnest. Mei was thrown once more into an uncertain future.

For three long years, Mei has lived in relative solitude - venturing down to pack lands only when absolutely necessary. She believes she is the last of true follower of Tentaka, and with no heirs, that the ancient wisdom of her ancestors will die with her.

## Group History

Mei moved to Chandor for a time, getting to know Nadia and Gregor and a few of her other packmates, though generally known as just a grumpy elder. She wouldn't remain for long, though, and quickly returned to the lands of Tentaka.

Imagine her surprise when a she-wolf named Akuto appeared, to rebuild the pack. How Meiling felt about Akuto's reign, her goals of rebuilding Tentaka in these ancestral lands, are unknown, for she would vanish mysteriously from Tentaka shortly thereafter. To this day, it is unknown whether Mei is still alive, hidden away in the Tentakan mountains, or whether her aged body has given out, and her soul has found peace in the beyond.

## Trivia

* A small wolf with a big personality, Mei is a tough old hag, one who's seen everything the world has to offer and isn't surprised by much anymore. Mei thinks of herself as a kind of matriarch and approaches all other wolves, no matter their rank, pack, or lack thereof, with an attitude of dominance.
* Mei is experienced and set-in-her-ways. She's not the blooming flower she once was, but sees her age as something of an opportunity in itself.
* Being too weak to traipse around the wilderness, Mei does not often leave her mountain home and has become somewhat of a hermit. Indeed she rarely ventures more than a few hundred meters beyond her den, as it is difficult to do so in her feeble-bodied condition.

## Quotes

* "They're good for yeh. Make yer bones strong. And if ye roll in 'em, the boys won't be able to resist the smell. Best way to win one of those dogs over, mark my words. But that's a family secret, now, don't go telling anyone! You didn't hear it from me!" (Mei telling Nadia about the uses for truffles, *Truffle Hunters*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* WynBird's deviantART Gallery