Morgan

## Application Sheet

Morgan was a large, light brown wolf with several scars, graying fur, and darker markings along his back. He was a Riverfell Gold Feather, father of Heather and Kara (NPC) and grandfather to Shiloh. He taught her the ways of Riverfell using the alias "Magnus" and traveled with her band of females until being captured by vicious loners. Later, he would return to Riverfell, being rescued by Deonte, and ensure Shiloh had the best chance of winning the title of alpha, before serving as interim leader while she healed from the wounds earned winning said title. Morgan would enjoy a retired life in Riverfell, until the Hive Wars resulted in him fighting to protect his packmates, and ultimately, he lost his life against General Sledge. Morgan was created and RP'd by Quaylak.

## Personality

* ***Determined*:** Forceful and self-assured, Morgan lets little stand in his way. If he has a goal in mind there is little that will stop him from obtaining it.
* ***Serious*:** Stoic and stonefaced, his words are usually short and blunt, only participating in conversations that are meaningful or that he is interested in.
* ***Close-minded*:** Growing up within a patriarchal pack has left him with a skewed version of females. He was born and bred to believe females are the weaker sex, even though he has seen the opposite in regards to his daughter and Shiloh.
* ***Ruthless and Distant*:** Despite his Gold Feather training and previous pack belief of "all life is precious," Morgan no longer has any qualms about injuring or killing a wolf who gets in the way or hurts those under his protection.
* ***Loyal and Protective*:** Once you get to know him, you'll come to find he is extremely dedicated to those under his care and will do/use any means necessary to keep them safe. Even if it means sacrificing himself. He is fiercely loyal to his family especially.
* ***Logical and Careful*:** Morgan considers every step before taking action, tactical in his way of thinking. He believes that jumping recklessly into a situation will only cause trouble.
* ***Suspicious***: After what happened to his daughter, Kara, Morgan finds himself extremely untrusting of wolves he does not know; and even some he *does* know. It takes time and effort to earn his trust. Few are up to the task.

## Pre-Group History

Born and raised in Riverfell, Morgan was a prestigious senior Gold Feather warrior. Once dutiful and dedicated to the patriarchal society, he strove for excellence and honor. Keeping his pack and family safe was his number one priority. The former alpha of Riverfell, Saerian the Bold, was his idol; someone he had dedicated his life to serving.

After many years of service, Morgan retired from his Gold Feather duties and settled down with his wife, Rose. Together, they had various children, but none as wild and as willful as his youngest, Kara. Even as a pup, she was unique. Strong and stubborn, she seemed to see the world through a different lens. *"You will be great."* Morgan would praise her. *"I can't wait to see what you achieve."* Yet nothing prepared him for the day that Kara decided to choose a task; her heart set on one rank and one rank alone...Gold Feather.

Morgan was horrified. The Gold Feather ranks had only ever been composed of males. There was no place among the battalion for females - she'd be eaten alive. But, Kara would not be swayed no matter how much he argued and pleaded. In the end, he conceded; warning her that her path would be difficult, but if there was to be a first female Gold Feather, it would be her.

Day after day, he watched her fight tooth and claw to become a Gold Feather; passing each trial that came her way until she had finally proven herself worthy of the prestigious title. He was proud but apprehensive. Her peers were not as ruthless as he had thought they would be...what with a female now joining their ranks. It was suspicious, but he did not allow it to spoil his pride in her.

Late one evening, Kara came to him. She was visibly shaken and clearly upset as she spoke. *"Pyre, he...we..."* She could barely get out her confession before Morgan's temper revealed itself. Every word and detail of what had happened made his blood boil. His heart pounded hard and fast as anger overtook him. He had never seen her like this; so defeated and broken. How could she have let this happen? She was too young to engage in such reckless behavior! It was unbecoming of both a female and a Gold Feather so young in her career. Conversely, the thought of Pyre manipulating and using her for his games brought out his fatherly rage and desire to protect his daughter. He *knew* the others had been too accepting; too lenient in letting a female join them. In his anger, he shouted and blamed her, and reminded her of his previous warnings when she first came to him about her chosen task. She fled his sight in despair; and guilt consumed him over his lost temper.

Kara was apprehended the following morning. Pyre had accused her of sullying the title of Gold Feather by manipulating him and attempting to disrupt his career with her blatant promiscuity. She was stripped of her Gold Feather status and all honors she had previously earned for herself. Morgan and Rose could do nothing but watch as their youngest daughter lost everything she had fought so hard to achieve.

A few weeks later, Rose revealed to Morgan that Kara's night with Pyre had resulted in her being pregnant. Morgan knew for certain that she was no longer safe in Riverfell; not with Pyre's sexist vendetta and the pups Kara now carried. When he confronted her, she had little to say. He wanted answers from her that she did not have, to questions she never considered being asked so early in her life. Would she raise them here, in Riverfell? What would happen when Pyre found out?

*"I don't know what to do. Should I leave...?"*

Kara's question went unanswered, though Morgan's silence told her everything she needed to know. Heartbroken by his lack of support during the worst moment of her life, she fled again. Only this time, she passed Riverfell's borders and never looked back. Morgan had known how his silence would be interpreted, despite it breaking his own heart. But with Kara out of the territory and her pups still a secret, he could only hope that his youngest daughter and his grandchildren would finally be safe.

A witness to Kara's assault revealed himself not long after her disappearance. He told both Saerian and Morgan the truth of what transpired that night and nullified Pyre's lies about what he claimed happened. Pyre received a meager punishment for his lies, but it was the equivalent of a "slap on the wrist" for causing so much disruption within the pack. Morgan was shocked; his daughter's reputation and life had been ruined, yet his Alpha - the wolf he had sworn his life to - had dismissed his own son's actions as mere immature antics. While his mind swam in a sea of concentrated rage and a desire for revenge, he maintained a calm facade in the eyes of Saerian and his peers. Morgan's hatred for Pyre grew like wildfire; consuming his days and his nights until he could bear it no longer.

On the night of the Quarter Feast, Morgan put a plan he had concocted in motion. He stole several herbs from his wife's healing den and watched as the Hunters brought out the meat for the night's festivities; the biggest slabs being reserved for Saerian and Pyre. He waited until the Hunters set aside Pyre's piece, then left it unattended - or so they thought. Within minutes, Morgan had carefully crushed several herbs upon the flesh, then slipped away once the festivities began. He watched from afar, noticing Pyre's sluggish and weak movements as the night carried on. The poison steadily and swiftly made its presence known, until eventually, the corrupt prince slumped over, succumbing to the deadly toxin.

It was immediate; Saerian rushing to the aid of his fallen son and the Gold Feathers mobilizing amidst the shrill voice of their Lord, demanding them to find the one who poisoned Pyre. But, by then, Morgan was already on the outskirts of the main den site, running with only one thought echoing in his mind: find Kara and her pups.

After several months of searching, Morgan was finally able to track down Kara. The sight of his daughter brought him great joy, yet...he could not bring himself to face her. Instead, he merely surveyed her from a distance. She had a pup with her; a young female painted with Pyre's colors. He knew it must have been difficult to love a wolf who looked so much like someone they both hated, but Kara seemed to be raising her daughter well despite doing so on her own.

Morgan debated interrupting their lives with his presence, but his desire to reunite with them outweighed his fear of Kara's reaction at seeing him again. He sought them both out one cloudy afternoon but lost their trail after a terrible storm rolled through the area. It took Morgan several days to pick up any trace of a scent, and when he finally did, it was only of Kara's daughter...what had happened during that storm? Had mother and daughter been separated?

It seemed his granddaughter decided to pick a fight with a pair of loners not long after he decided to track her down. She had managed to hold her ground temporarily but was eventually beaten. Morgan stepped in before they were able to take her life, then found out the truth of what had happened to the girl's mother after she recovered from her fight; Kara had been killed in a flash flood during the storm. Morgan was beyond devastated.

He knew he had no choice but to take his granddaughter, Shiloh, under his wing. She was alone now and had no one, yet Kara had filled her head with dreams of returning to Riverfell one day and enacting revenge upon those who had wronged her.

## Group History

And so, he joined Shiloh, introducing himself with an alias - Magnus - and told her that he hailed from Riverfell. He decided not to tell her his true identity and adapted the alias to further himself from his former life. He agreed to take her to Riverfell someday, but in his heart....he knew that was the last thing he would ever do. Now that Kara was gone and Shiloh was all that was left of her legacy, he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. He owed Kara that much.

During their travels together across the Domain, they picked up several other stray female wolves through the seasons. Runaways, loners, and some simply longing for company, all seemed to find their small group - wolves like Belladonna, Aydan, Calumina, Rue, Keeva, and Alice. Morgan trained Shiloh in Riverfell's culture and taught her techniques used by the Gold Feathers. They butt heads more often than not and Morgan found it challenging to deal with a female as headstrong as Shiloh - though he savored the moments that he could see the spirit of her mother in her eyes. In many ways, Kara lived on through Shiloh, though he was certain she had more determination and heart than anyone in their family.

After a divisive run-in with a Vektreni wolf looking for a heart, Morgan was separated from Shiloh and their group. He was taken captive for several seasons before being rescued by an old friend - Deonte. Deonte told the wolves who'd taken Morgan that they would be killed for holding a high-ranking Riverfellian captive, and so the wolves let him go. When he returned to the pack, he'd half-expected to be tried for killing Pyre - but Deonte informed him that, after he left, his mate Rose had taken the blame for killing the alpha's son and was killed in Morgan's place.

When Shiloh returned, Morgan made sure that things would be done properly, to give her the best chance she could possibly have to claim her rightful title from Rhaegar - who had taken over as alpha after the death of Saerian the Bold. Morgan made sure that no Riverfellian wolves interfered with the battle between Shiloh and Rhaegar, and that enough wolves were around to understand Shiloh's bloodlines and right to the title of alpha. It took everything in his power not to rush to Shiloh's aid - *why wasn't she fighting the way he expected her to? Where was that fire?* But Shiloh managed to defeat Rhaegar, nearly at the expense of her own life.

While Shiloh recovered from her serious injuries, Morgan stood in as interim leader of Riverfell. He worked hard to help her heal, working to get herbs for the Sages and keeping on eye on things for her. When Bourne returned to the territory, Morgan was the first wolf he saw, and Morgan begrudgingly recognized Bourne, and offered him a place to stay until Shiloh could judge him for herself.

As Shiloh recovered, Morgan set about giving her and the Gold Feathers advice in certain matters, trying to get Riverfell running as smoothly as possible. When the first Quarter Feast of Shiloh's reign rolled around, he enjoyed the festivities with his friend Deonte, and Lyza, and even Swiftwing the falcon, who did his best to join in the singing of the night.

Maybe things in Riverfell would start to look up with Shiloh as leader. Time would tell, but Morgan felt confident in his granddaughter's ability to do great things. The wolves who had been traveling with Shiloh when he was with the band of loners, such as Belladonna, were relieved to see him alive.

However, once Shiloh was recovered and able to lead the pack herself, Morgan began to worry about his worth to the pack. Due to his injuries, he could no longer perform as a Gold Feather. His friend Deonte assured him that he was still a valued member of the pack, even in retirement - he would help to train the new Gold Feathers, as a supervisory role, and guide his granddaughter through future decisions. This brightened Morgan's outlook immensely.

That first winter of Shiloh's rule was difficult, though. The coldest winter ever known in the Domain - known as the Deep Freeze - led to the old warrior being called upon for somewhat mundane duties, like collecting herbs for the Sages. Not only was he called upon to do this, but he was told to bring an escort Gold Feather. With Howl, he set out to collect herbs...and had the first Riverfellian encounter with a Hive wolf. The veteran Gold Feather joined forces with the modern Gold Feather to fight the vicious intruder off, and noticed that it seemed to *know* a wolf would be there. Morgan theorized it was waiting for Ruby, one of the pack's Sages. They also noticed it smelled of seawater under its awful stench...had it come from the ocean?

Morgan had a bit of a reputation as being a serious, no-nonsense type around the youngsters of the pack. When Mutaias sent Yulian, Orsu, and Ricci to Murag's Island, warning them to beware the alligator's kin, Morgan was frustrated by the eccentric healer's foolish decision to send them - *and* the young wolves who'd gone off to do the dangerous task. The three of them got scared to death by an alligator, but, fortunately, weren't harmed. Morgan and Deonte lectured the youngsters and escorted them home after that!

Morgan settled into a relatively quiet life of retirement, keeping an eye on the youngsters and overseeing Gold Feather training in an advisory context. Other wolves went to him for advice as well. He also spoke with Alice, admitting that he didn't trust her as loners, but he'd watched her prove herself time and time again, and was proud to consider her a packmate. The tension of their past was buried then, leaving room for Alice and Shiloh to pursue a relationship without his disapproval in the back of their minds.

The Hive threat was growing, though, and Morgan hated feeling useless. He'd already fought one of the beasts, and felt uncertain about Shiloh's plans involving Riverfell fighting them. Shiloh didn't want to launch a full-on attack...not yet. Devina approached Morgan and asked if he shared her concerns, and if so, to share them with Shiloh. Morgan's words carried more weight with the Riverfellian leader, she explained. Morgan said he'd do so.

But then...*then* Lyza was killed by the Hive. The pain of losing one of his oldest, dearest friends caused the funeral and Heart Stone ceremony to pass in a blur, but one thing was clear to him after that: Shiloh was spurred to action. Riverfell would *fight* the Hive, actively, instead of the passive, defensive role the pack had taken up to this point. Morgan was proud, and though he couldn't join his packmates and granddaughter on the battlefield, he would be with her in spirit.

As preparations were being made in the pack, readying themselves to bring the fight to the Hive, Morgan pulled Shiloh aside and told her how proud of her he was. He bestowed upon her a beautiful gift - Kara's golden feathers. She would have wanted her daughter to have them, and though Shiloh was not an official Gold Feather, the feathers were honorary. Morgan saw so much of his daughter in Shiloh, and this was a strong bonding moment for the two wolves.

While most Riverfellians were out in the territory, Morgan remained in the den-site, along with some of the healers and wounded wolves. It was at this time that a massive invasion was launched by the Hive. Morgan could hear the howls of his packmates for help, but remained quiet, knowing something was horribly wrong. He moved quietly to the healers' den, instructing the Sages to cover the wounds so blood smell couldn't escape.

The wounded wolves - Josephine and Sasha - were tended by Heather and Ruby. Their wounds were covered with moss to try stifling the blood-scent, but it was too late. Six of the white Hive wolves approached...and General Sledge. After recognizing Sledge as the Hive wolf he fought back in the Deep Freeze, Morgan taunted the white wolf before the two clashed. Unfortunately, Sledge overpowered the veteran Gold Feather this time, and Morgan lost his life.

Morgan would not transcend into the next life alone, however, for shortly after Sledge took his life, Deonte avenged his death by killing the Hive General...and lost his own life in the process. Morgan was reunited not only with his best friend in the afterlife, but with his dear mate and daughter Kara. Still, his loss was felt intensely by all of the Riverfellians, both those who witnessed the horrific killing, and the rest of the pack. Perhaps none would miss him as deeply as his family, though - daughter Heather, who witnessed her father's final battle, and his granddaughter Shiloh, who led the pack through a successful fight for survival, only to learn of his death in the aftermath.

## Trivia

* No longer as thick and muscular as he used to be, Morgan is beginning to show his age with thinner, graying fur. His left foreleg was severely injured after being captured during the Heart Harvest and did not heal properly, so it is capable of bearing very little weight (causing him to limp). As a result, his nails on that paw are often overgrown due to not being filed down naturally from walking. Various scars litter his face and body from years of training and combat.

## Quotes

* "And for the record, because I think you ought to know...it was *me* that killed your father after what he did to Kara. And...I'd do it all over again, even knowing the cost now." (to Shiloh, *Child of Heroes*)
* "If my opinion or experience were held with any regard, they'd have already asked me for it. I'm gettin' too old and tired to keep proving myself and my worth to anybody. And I do have a named role in this pack - I'm *retired*." (to Devina, *Shared Concerns*)
* “Riverfell is just a place. It’s the wolves that make it what it is and they’ll do whatever it takes to protect these lands and keep the pack going forever if you ask them to. These feathers carry that same sense of strength and legacy now. Don’t get caught up in ever doubting that…or yourself. Got it?” (to Shiloh, *Legacy of Heroes*)
* “Ah that’s right, your kind don’t speak. Well, then I’ll do the talkin’ for both of us. I’m going to finish what you started, rookie. And then I’m gonna tear out your boss’s eyeballs and feed ‘em to the gators.” (his last words before battling Sledge, *Battling General Sledge*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* Quaylak's deviantART Gallery