Mechka

Rayno (Brother, NPC)

Lyuben (Sister, NPC)

Mechka was a tricolored male wolf with orange eyes, a Bear Totem of Chandor. He was the mate to Arcuza, father to their four pups - Virago, Rajbera, Viola, and Anakoni. He wouldn't meet them until they were grown, however, as he left the Domain for several seasons to search for his family. Upon his return, he rebuilt relationships with his pups and mate and settled into serving his pack again. Ultimately, however, Mechka's reunion with his family would be short-lived, for, in the midst of the Hive Wars, he, Arcuza, and Rajbera all lost their lives to the Hive in the Battle of Flora Fields. He is grieved amongst his packmates and remaining children, and honored, like Arcuza, as a hero. Mechka was created and RP'd by TheCatsPupil.

## Personality

* ***Helpful***. Mechka is more than willing to offer a helping hand. He understands the struggle of day to day living, and is thankful for Chandor for taking him in. He feels the least he could do is be available to offer help. However, this readiness also applies to creatures outside of Chandor, as he has a special place in his heart for fellow loners. He's not only helpful when it comes to lifting his own weight, but he can also offer emotional support if someone were to need help.
* ***Humble***. Mechka is never one to boast or draw attention to himself for accomplishing something. He has no sense of pride in himself. He almost never takes credit for what he's done, and will often let others shine in his wake because he doesn't really take joy in being recognized, especially in front of large groups of people.
* ***Independent***. Mechka can do things on his own quite easily, and will sometimes leave off on his own for a little walk of the territory. While he is full self-sufficient, he won't stay away for long as he likes to linger around other warm bodies. Even if he doesn't interact with others, he is grateful for their company. During Mechka's one year alone, he learned quite a bit via trial an error, so he doesn't need help very often taking down small prey items or when in a fight.
* ***Skeptical.*** Despite having joined Chandor, Mechka still has his doubts about pack life. He's skeptical that he'll be staying very long, and is skeptical that anyone in the pack actually enjoys being a part of it. He's also worried about creating friendships within the pack because of how his family drifted apart. It will take quite a bit of doing to earn his trust.
* ***Cautious*.** Mechka is often extremely cautious when it comes to outsiders or going outside of Chandor's territory. He won't attack unless need be, but he may put on an aggressive display if given one. If he suspects danger, Mechka will go out of his way to avoid it. He is also very protective of those close to him and those belonging to Chandor.
* ***Easily Discouraged**.* Mechka doesn't take criticism very well, and absolutely cannot handle yelling or being snapped at in any fashion. He will easily loose motivation or confidence should anyone scold him. A better way to encourage Mechka is to offer help to him or to offer suggestions which he will often take and use. 'Tough love' is never the correct route with him.
* ***Anxious*.** Mechka is known to be unsure and uneasy about most things. He is never sure of his decisions or actions, and is rarely confident. Certain experiences or situations can cause Mechka to have anxiety or panic attacks. When he's anxious, he has many tics like pacing, digging, shuffling, scratching, and swaying. He won't explicitly look to others for comfort, however having company can definitely help his anxiety.
* ***Soft-Spoken**.* Despite listening in on a conversation, Mechka may not contribute to it once. If he does have something to say he never interrupts anyone and he always waits just a bit longer than the average wolf would to respond. More often than not, the topic changes before the canine has a chance to get his two cents in. However, this does make him a very good listener.

## Pre-Group History

Rumena, Mechka's mother, was from a nearby pack while Valko, his father, was a loner who happened to fall head over heels in love with the beautiful ruddy wolf. While Rumena was eager about the relationship at first, when Valko refused to join her pack after they learned of her pregnancy, she started to grow distant. Wolves in her pack were not allowed to mate with loners, so when it was finally time to birth Mechka, his brother, and his sister, Rumena left her pack. Valko couldn't have been happier with his three perfect pups. While Rumena was happy for a brief time after their birth, the longer she was away from her pack, the more her mental health declined. She missed her family and her pack and wished to return as soon as the pups were weened. So she did. Mechka didn't quite understand why his mother would leave. During what short life he had lived already he had grown closer to his father. His sister had grown closer to their mother, so when Rumena left to her pack, so did Mechka's sister. Valko was immensely heartbroken by his mates leaving, but managed to push through for his two sons.

Mechka was a pretty happy puppy, and was always well fed during the summer that followed. He and his brother grew quickly and they moved farther and farther away from Rumena's pack. Valko had decided that if Rumena was willing to split their new family just to return to pack life that it wasn't worth sticking around old memories. Valko was dedicated to Mechka and his brother, Rayno. He was willing to walk to the end of the Earth for them and Mechka, from a young age, started to admire his father greatly. While his father was out doing 'chores', Mechka and Rayno were able to bond as well. It was very common for them to play fight, even getting a bit rough at times. It was uncommon for the two of them to fight, and leaving their mother seemed to affect them very little.

As the siblings grew up, Valko began to teach them how to live as loners, figuring his boys would never choose a pack life. However, as the family passed by a pack territory, Rayno came into contact with one of the local wolves. Rayno explained to Mechka that a pack could promise a safety net during the oncoming winter, and that all three of them could become a part of an even bigger family. Having grown up learning from his father about how packs were just unnecessary baggage, Mechka scrunched his nose at the idea. Rayno let it go, but when the first snow came, the next morning, Rayno was gone. Valko and Mechka went searching for him, following his scent all the way to the border. They didn't dare cross into the pack's territory without permission. While Mechka was saddened by this development, Valko was furious. After everything he had done for his son, he foolishly decided to leave everything he had ever known. Valko decided to keep moving, and get as far away from Rayno's new pack as he could, and Mechka followed.

Valko continued to teach the young wolf as he grew up, and eventually Mechka was able to start helping in small scale hunts, although he wasn't so great at it yet. Throughout the winter, the two of them struggled along, but were able to make it through to spring with the help of a few scraggly rabbits and frozen birds.

By the time Mechka was one year old, he had nearly gotten to his dad's size. The spring was kind to the both of them, and Mechka was able to pack on a few pounds with the plentiful prey. Little did he know that throughout the winter, Valko had headed back in the direction of Rayno's pack. The two of them lingered around the pack's border for several days until they were able to find Rayno. When Mechka finally saw and recognized his brother, he ran out into the territory, ignoring his father's voice calling him back. When Rayno turned around to see Mechka he attacked instantly. This being Mechka's first fight, he was torn up quite horribly before Rayno was able to calm down enough to hear Valko howling at him to stop and Mechka's familiar scent beneath his nose. Regardless of the fact that Mechka shared blood with him, Rayno was sure in his actions, and knew that attacking the intruder, regardless of who it was, was the correct thing to do. When Mechka was finally able to limp back to the border, Valko was able to talk Rayno. When they finished speaking Valko admitted to Mechka that he wanted to join Rayno's pack if at all possible. He was growing older, and the past winter had been quite harsh. Mechka couldn't have been more furious. His own brother had just attacked him because of his stupid pack, why would they join?

In the end, Mechka ended up leaving while Rayno escorted his father into the pack's territory. Mechka was devastated. Everyone he had ever known had left him, and now he was left to fend for himself. For a year he traveled the land, making do with what he had and avoiding packs and other wolves at all costs. But living through 4 seasons alone, without any contact was enough to drive any wolf to a breaking point. Mechka finally reached his mental breaking point at the edge of Chandor's territory near the Lonely Woods. It didn't take long for a patrol to find him. Once he was able to speak to them and learn more about their pack, he asked to join them.

## Group History

Mechka, for all his reservations, fit quite comfortably into Chandor. Over the course of his first winter with the wolves, he became acquainted with Navindru, Rhys, and Tadita. In spring, he met Arcuza, the she-wolf who would become his mate in the future. She would encourage him on his path to becoming a Bear Totem.

Of course, everything between the two wolves couldn't be perfect. They would have good days, and vicious arguments, like any other pair of wolves, and one day, she stormed off. Mechka was terrified that he'd never see her again - that he'd lost her forever - and when she returned, he voiced these fears to Arcuza immediately. The pair agreed to care better for one another.

In addition to his time spent with Arcuza, Mechka worked hard to defend his packmates from dangers that would emerge. He helped Mirakel to fend off a vicious wolverine in springtime, for instance, giving him some cool scars.

But...

Despite his love for Chandor, for those he swore to protect, the threat that potentially loomed over Chandor's allies, and the thought of leaving his best friend, his beloved mate behind, Mechka knew that until he was able to reunite with his father or brother, or at least know what became of them, his heart would never truly rest.

He understood why Arcuza chose to stay. It would be a long journey, one that would likely take all winter. It would be unpleasant and leaving Chandor without two of their Bears would be irresponsible. Still, he swore to return to her. With a bittersweet ache in his heart and his eyes welling, he set off to find his family.

*After leaving Chandor to search for his family, it took a season and a half to reach where he had last departed with his father and brother. He waited on the outside of their territory only to be met with unfamiliar wolves. He hardly expected to find his family, let alone be allowed in to greet them, but due to Mechka's respect for the territory's boundaries and knowing the names of two of their packmates, he was allowed in. To his surprise both his father and brother were still alive and well. Despite the circumstances of their last meeting, it was clear all three of them had grown since then, apologizing for their precious misgivings. Mechka spent one season in this pack, catching up with his birth family and explaining to them all he had learned and done in Chandor. How he wished Arcuza was here to meet them.*

*After a full season Mechka felt his heart grow heavy with longing for his familial pack, Chandor, and more importantly, Arcuza. It had been so long since he had seen her. Was she okay? Was Chandor still thriving? He invited his father and brother to return with him but they reluctantly decided to stay, promising that someday perhaps they would visit Mechka in Chandor. With a bittersweet goodbye he left them again to return to the Domain.*

Mechka was intercepted at the border by Anakoni. He had no idea of how close to him this stranger actually was, but he was open and friendly and asked about his packmates. When he mentioned he was Arcuza's mate, Anakoni had grown emotional. *His father was home!* Mechka was astonished to learn he had children, but eagerly embraced the role of father to four young adult wolves.

Or, rather, two. Both Viola and Rajbera had left the pack - Raj having stormed off after attacking Nadia for not rescuing her more quickly when she got herself kidnapped by Xassa. Viola had decided to live as a hermit and isolated herself from the world. But Virago and Anakoni were *here* and Mechka was eager to be their father.

And he was ready to be reunited with Arcuza. The two reunited with joyful tears in their eyes, and Mechka silently vowed never to leave her again. The pair spent a lot of time talking about their time apart and how dearly they had missed one another.

He grew very close to his son Anakoni. The two often discussed matters in Chandor, and Mechka showed an interest in Anakoni's training as an Elk Totem. He politely inquired about his son's first experience helping a mother through labor (Kaen delivered Polarstag's pups!) and Anakoni said, half-joking, that he didn't want his eye anymore after witnessing it.

He also enjoyed meeting some new packmates, and offered sparring sessions to wolves who were training as Bear Totems, as well as those who just wanted to learn some tactical offensive and defensive skills. He won several rounds against the large she-wolf Yulian, who was rather unhappy getting pushed around by the smaller wolf.

Still, the time for relaxed games like these spars would come to an end, and things would take a much more serious turn when strange white wolves entered the Domain. Mechka was patrolling with Nadia, Andi, and Logos when they saw a group of Hive wolves downing an elk in their territory. Nadia tried to communicate with them, but the crazed beasts attacked the patrol, and, against their Chandorian instincts of peaceable interactions, they were forced to kill the white wolves. Mechka himself was responsible for ending the life of one of the beasts.

Still, life in Chandor continued in spite of the troubling times. He played with Balduin at the Autumnfest, getting a bit of a reprieve from the anxieties and tensions of the Hive Wars. He would learn that winter that the alphas of the packs decided to take action, and take the battle to the Hive.

Nadia asked for her packmates to join her and give aid to Riverfell, to fight the Hive alongside their allies. Mechka volunteered himself as a fighter, and the war party set out. They were not unnoticed, however, and the Hive encircled the Chandorians and viciously battled them.

Mechka held his own for a time, unaware that, some distance away, his daughter Rajbera was being killed by the Hive wolves. Mechka would turn around at the sound of Arcuza's howl, however, and witness, in horror, her death. He was mortified as she dropped to the ground, bleeding heavily from several wounds, including a serious bite to her throat. While Mechka was distracted, another Hive wolf lunged and grabbed his throat, ending his life in a similar manner to his mate's.

Mechka, Arcuza, and Rajbera - half of the little Chandorian family - had been killed in this battle against General Maggot and the Hive. They are honored as heroes, and grieved as losses to the beastly white savages that had invaded their territory.

## Trivia

* Mechka gets nervous when wolves bare their fangs at him, as though they are going to attack him. As Mechka explains, in his own words: "I know you would never take a bite out of me without good reason, but something in the back of my head says otherwise. It’s not your fault. It’s just that I’ve learned that if someone I care about decides to attack, I know I wouldn’t be able to fight back. So, my defense is to curl up and hope they change their mind."

## Quotes

* “If you’re ever feeling lonely I’m sure anyone here would be glad to keep you company. We’re a family here, and no one should be left out." (to Tadita, *No Grumps*)
* "Arcuza, you came back. I-I thought you left. I didn’t know if you were going to come back, and I was so scared I was never going to see you again!" (to Arcuza, *Burrs*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* TheCatsPupil's deviantART Gallery