Howl (Morrow)

River (Half-Brother)

## Application Sheet

Howl was a brown wolf with an unusually reddish nose. He was the founder and sole alpha of a small pack: Morrow. Several wolves called the pack home, including his sister, Crash. However, when an outbreak of the rabies virus swept through the area, Howl contracted the disease and disbanded the pack, isolating himself until his death, to prevent spreading the infection. He died from respiratory arrest from the rabies. He was created and RP'd by Kiterrax.

## Personality

* ***Quiet, but Well-Spoken.*** Howl is a quiet and careful wolf. Much like his half-sister, he is very smart, but says very little, so at first glance, he is assumed to be slow. He rarely raises his voice, unless it's an emergency, instead normally speaking softly, calmly. He thinks about what he is going to say before he says it.
* ***Steady and Gentle.*** His movements also appear pre-planned, he moves so purposefully and directly. He is understanding and forgiving of mistakes, but if he is crossed on purpose then he will never forgive. He is quick to make amends when he recognizes he is in the wrong, but if he believes he is right, there is no stopping him. He has a gentle way about him that incites wolves to trust him, and he is so loyal to his own morals that he never crosses anyone. The own pain caused to him as a pup has made him vow he won't ever hurt anyone else like that.
* ***Authoritative and Serious.*** Howl has a dominant streak, which comes from raising his half-brother. He also has a paranoid streak. He is easily irritated, but will only initiate a fight if he has absolutely no other choice. When he gives an order, he expects it to be followed. Questioning is allowed if it's valid, he will happily explain things others don't understand, but goofing around when it's time to work is unacceptable. He doesn't waste time, when he is focussed on something he is 100 percent dedicated. He is also as fair as he can be, always trying to consider others feelings and take them into account when making decisions.
* ***Issues with Intimacy.*** Howl has severe abandonment issues. His mother being an absent parent, and then leaving him when he just reached young adulthood broke him. Because of this he has issues forming relationships with other wolves, sometimes appearing aloof, and although he is always ready to help anyone who needs it, he remains detached and leaves quickly after helping. Despite this, he wishes to settle down with someone and have pups. He is very protective of younger or weaker wolves, and very good with pups.
* ***Forgiving and Optimistic.*** In spite of his abandonment issues, Howl has come to terms with his mother and his childhood. He accepts he'll never understand why she did what she did, and although sometimes it still makes him sad, he works through it, and focuses on the good in his life.

## Pre-Group History

Howl's mother only ever wanted to raise a little girl. When Howl was born into a litter of four males, she was furiously upset, and killed the other three puppies in a bout of rage. She was stopped from killing him by her pack, and her mate. Instead of killing him, she went into a depression, from grief and guilt.

For the first month of his life, Howl nursed from his unresponsive mother. She only ate when food was placed by her snout, and he watched as her mate visited with food less and less, until he disappeared entirely. Her pack, unnerved by her unstable mentality, left, leaving her, Howl and three dead puppies in a birthing den.

Howl's hunger was what broke her depression. When he ran out of milk he was quiet for as long as he could be, but couldn't help crying louder and louder the hungrier he got. When she woke up, she looked upon him with disgust and sorrow, cuffed him about the head, and told him to be quiet. His desperation had an effect on her, however, because she got up, and left the den. Howl was quiet, waiting for his mother, but after an hour or so, fearing his mother had left him, started crying again. He quickly stopped after remembering her telling him to be quiet, and instead waited in silent distress.

She returned to him that day, with no milk, but a small carcass which she pre-chewed and fed him. Her milk had dried up, and Howl was to be weaned prematurely. He dealt with it well, growing up quickly, picking up how to hunt, and hunting for his mother when her depression overtook her. On her good days, her mother cautioned him against hunting anything too big, always saying if he wasn't careful he would get himself killed. Her voice never held any concern or love when she spoke to him, only indifference. Howl loved his mother, he didn't understand why she didn't love him back, and was always trying to impress her, gain her approval. He forced himself to get better and better at hunting, eating everything he caught. He shot up in size, grew strong, but the stronger he got, the less his mother seemed to like looking at him.

When he was around a year old, his mother fell pregnant again, giving birth to one male puppy (River), and one female puppy (Crash). She was hit with a bout of depression just before she gave birth, and again only ate what Howl brought her, the pups nursing her unresponsive body. Around the time the puppies were just beginning to wean themselves, she came to herself again, and while Howl was out hunting, checked the sexes of her pups. When she saw the female, she took it in her mouth and left. Howl returned to a cold den, the only inhabitant his crying brother.

Howl did what his mother did for him, fed his brother pre-chewed food, and resolutely did not fall into grief as his mother did so frequently when she was raising him. He was furious at her, and used the rage to keep his despair and confusion at bay. He did the best he could for his brother, raising him as well as he could, teaching him to hunt and how to survive on his own.

## Group History

For a time, Howl lived as a loner in the Domain, alongside his half-brother, River. The younger male often got on Howl's nerves, frustrating him with his carelessness and harassment of females. While he was out and about, Howl took time to meet some of the loners in the area, including Yona, who he offered to share their den with. He also met a Blutwalder at the border, named Morgan, who he was entranced by. He found her to be kind and beautiful, and regretted that she was in Blutwald, where their relationship couldn't develop due to the pack's strictness.

And then, he saw a familiar face: Crash. His half-sister was on her way back from Kausen, to deliver a report to Roman in Blutwald. He was shocked to see her, and wanted to speak to her. Before that, he crossed paths with Crash's friend, Keely. Keely told Howl that she, Crash, and some friends were going to make a pack of their own. Howl was intrigued, because that had been *his* plan all along.

When he finally approached Crash, she told him that she was going to help her friends escape from Blutwald. They worked out a plan: while Crash distracted Roman by giving him her report on Kausen, Gypsee and Morgan would flee the pack. They'd cross the border to meet Howl (and Keely), who would escort them a safe distance from Blutwald, to the den he had made with River and Yona. Crash would join them later. The plan worked successfully, except Gypsee made a deal with Stallion, which outraged Howl: the escapees had to take care of Raven, a wolf very dear to Stallion, and the black-and-gold Blutwalder would tell Roman that he'd only managed to catch one of the two escapees. Gypsee managed to help Howl see reason in having a Blutwald ally, but he was still irritated that she had been reckless with their safety.

They reached the den, and Crash soon joined them. With this many wolves, it was time to officially announce themselves as a pack. Howl named their new pack "Morrow", and was the best choice as an alpha. He invited others to join them, including Yona and River, and others they met, like Phantom and a skilled huntress named Charaka. The pack was thriving, and relatively out of Blutwald's reach for the time being. Howl was a wise leader, kind to his packmates - a bit serious, but considerate and gentle.

Unfortunately, his paradise would be destroyed by disease.

Rabies. Known by the wolves of the Domain as "Foaming Mouth Disease", rabies infected animals near the territory, and they feared accidental infections. Howl tried to protect his packmates, and sent word to Chandor via Gypsee and Crash, to see if they had skilled healers and whether they'd been infected at all. Ultimately, Howl was infected himself. He told his packmates they must leave the land to avoid becoming infected...and leave him behind. Unwilling to spread the sickness, Howl quarantined himself as the disease slowly ate away at his mind and body.

Eventually, he suffered a respiratory arrest from the rabies infection, and died.

Crash and Gypsee would find his body shortly thereafter, and grieve deeply.

## Trivia

* Howl has LONG since forgiven his sister. He recognizes it wasn't her fault, she was just a pup when her mother took her.
* Gypsee's firstborn son was named after Howl.

## Quotes

* "You know this pack is meant to be peaceful. If anyone bothers you, you come straight to me, okay?" (to Gypsee, *Gypsee Becomes a Healer*)
* "It's okay to miss your family. It's good to miss them, it shows that you care...I've found myself very lucky, to have such a large and wonderful family [in Morrow]." (to Charaka, *A Break From Duty*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* Kiterrax's deviantART Gallery