Tempest

Gale (Brother)

## Application Sheet

Tempest was a dark gray she-wolf with topaz-orange eyes. She was born outside of the Domain alongside a brother, Gale, but has yet to reunite with him in the Domain. Her story as a loner is just beginning. Tempest was created and RP'd by Weasele.

## Personality

* ***Confident, Objective, Pragmatic, and Shrewd.*** Assured and self-sufficient, Tempest is a force to be reckoned with and is quite assertive as an individual. Having to teach and fend for herself from an early age has given her a boost of confidence that still continues to carry her even at this point in her life. She refuses to let others define her or her abilities and overall is a capable and poised she-wolf. Open-minded and curious about the world around her, Tempest refuses to let her emotions or preconceived notions influence her decision making. Her dispassionate nature aids her in being a fair and just judge, relying solely on the facts and logic of a situation as opposed to the feelings that may be involved. Though she is pretty skeptical, especially if a situation has less tangible or more feeling-based aspects, she is always willing to hear others out and try to figure out their world view. Practical and realistic, Tempest can be pretty down to earth when it comes to her expectations and planning. Coming off as hard-nosed and no-nonsense at times is just a small sacrifice she makes when it comes to surviving her day to day life. Her matter-of-fact nature isn't everyone's cup of tea, but she would rather spend her time thinking thoughts grounded in reality rather than childish whimsy and overall is a pretty reasonable wolf. Resourceful and intelligent, Tempest is a rather cunning she-wolf who is grateful for her ability to reason and analyze. Her clever nature has gotten her out of plenty of unsavory situations and she tends to think outside the box for less than obvious solutions to her problems. She is quite observant when it comes to other wolves and does her best to be perceptive of their true intentions.
* ***Maverick, Outspoken, Stoic, and Tenacious.*** Marching to her own beat, Tempest is a fiercely independent she-wolf who refuses to rely on others or trust in established rules that may be in place. Though this allows her to think a fair bit outside the box and come up with creative solutions to certain issues, it also constantly forces her to reinvent the wheel needlessly. Her rebelliousness and unorthodoxy make the idea of living in a pack among others and their rules a living nightmare scenario in her mind. Forthright with her feelings and frank to the point of bluntness, Tempest's candid nature can be a point of contention for those that encounter her. Some may appreciate her being a straight shooter while others may find her blunt to the point of harshness. Either way, she will give her full opinion and thoughts and despises those who play mindgames just to get their way. Tempest has gone most of her life not showing her emotions despite the hardship and pain she has endured. Her analytical habits and circumspect nature make her rather reserved around most other wolves and overall she is somewhat taciturn due to this. This aloofness makes it difficult for her to relate to others, even if she wants to try and understand them. Persevering and persistent, once Tempest has a goal or plan she will do anything to see it through to the end. Being so strong-willed and resolute, she has the potential for becoming something more than just a mere loner...however her dogged determination may slip into something more obsessive should her goals become too lofty. She can be incredibly stubborn and refuse to budge, even if what she wants is out of her reach.
* ***Brusque, Callous, Pedantic, and Restless.*** Outspoken and quite blunt, Tempest does not give a damn about anyone's feelings. If she has something on her mind, you can bet that you are going to hear about it at some point. Her curtness in combination with her tactlessness make arguments and disagreements a common occurrence in her life. Tempest learned to be tough and resilient, due to this upbringing she has a tendency to be rather insensitive to the needs and feelings of others. Her lack of consideration and general ruthlessness tends to come off as cruel and cold. Despite this she is not completely heartless, just terrible at showing the ones she does care for proper appreciation and kindness. Tempest is an extremely critical wolf, both directed at herself and those around her. Her fastidious nature makes her rather detail-orientated an unable to let small mistakes slide. Nitpicky and demanding of herself and others, her judgmental nature is yet another boundary she puts between herself and others- finding excuses as to why she she may dislike or just not want to be around someone. Between the mounting guilt she feels for abandoning her brother and what happened with her mother, she is usually uneasy and on edge. Though she does her best to try and ignore her nerves, she grows more and more apprehensive and agitated the longer she is on her own. Her nervousness is usually put at bay by her constant travel and thirst for adventure and distractions to try and keep her mind occupied from the remorse she feels.

## Pre-Group History

Long before Tempest or her brother were born, the place they would have called home was ravaged by a wild fire of unnatural proportions...killing her father and scarring her mother both physically and mentally. It was a miracle that their mother, Crystal, even survived...as most of the pack she came from perished to the flames and smoke that swept through the valley that should have protected them. The Pack of Somnus was almost completely wiped out by this all-engulfing fire and the few survivors that did manage to make it out were separated and left without territory as the flames devastated the landscape that was once thriving with life. After this catastrophic event, Crystal was all but a husk of her former self- paranoid and borderline resentful that she even survived... What good was a pregnant she-wolf without her mate or pack to rule over? Without her beloved alpha and mate, Ares, she felt as if her life had lost all purpose. Still, she had no choice but to keep going if only for the sake of her future pups.

Tempest and her brother Gale were the sole survivors of a long and tumultuous birth, the stress brought about by the fire prior to their arrival playing a major part in their siblings' early demise. Between the tragedy of losing half of her litter and the devastation the wildfire brought, Crystal was beyond paranoid of losing what she had left...her surviving pups were all she had. They were reminders, reminders of what could have been and what would come to be. So...she kept them close, too afraid to lose the only connection she had left to her birth pack. Though Tempest nor Gale knew what it was like to grow up within the Pack of Somnus, their mother was sure to start regaling them with stories of the ancient pack's conquests and their father's glory days before either of them could even open their eyes.

Early on...Crystal raised her pups diligently and deliberately. Unwilling and unable to let go of the past affected their mother in the present and the leash she kept on her pups was beyond smothering. Though she herself was once a pack wolf, she instilled fear into the hearts of her young children about the ferocity and selfishness most wolf packs possessed- she couldn't risk having anyone outside her family influence her pups. As they grew, so did her fear with letting them go...she needed them around, if only to keep her company and care for her as she grew older. The fear of dying alone was too much for the already traumatized she-wolf. So...most of her time was spent priming the pups in just the right way where they were useful to her as well as dependent on her just so she could have some kind of control over them. She manipulated and gaslit them and every step forward for Tempest was met with being dragged backward by her mother and her needs. As far as Crystal was concerned her pups would stay by her side until the day she died...what happened after that was up to fate.

When the siblings reached their juvenile years, their mother's grip only seemed to tighten. Though Tempest was unsure at first why her mother seemed so hellbent on not letting them explore or learn new skills...it became more apparent as time passed that her mother feared being alone. In order to keep control over Tempest and Gale, Crystal would often pit the siblings against one another both emotionally and mentally. She picked favorites when she saw fit and her 'favorite' child often depended on her capricious mood and whimsy. Gale more often than not would be considered her favorite, due to his desire to please others and play by the established rules. When her mother felt as if not enough attention was being given to her, she would often fake injury or illness just to guilt-trip her and Gale to stay by her side. Between the constant and often unnecessary strife with her brother caused by her mother most of the time and the lack of freedom she had...Tempest grew more and more resentful by the day. Most of her youth was spent storming off as far as her mother would allow with her back to her family and lost in her own mind... Privacy was something that Tempest was never granted, as her mother never trusted her to be on her own longer than a few minutes at a time. Being inside her own head was the only reprieve she got from her chaotic home life.

The more time Tempest spent with her mother, the more she began to resent her and even her brother for playing into their mother's paws so easily. Tempest began to see through her mother's act, especially when it came to her faking sickness or hurt just to force them to stay. Though she was young, Tempest was sharp and resourceful. She soon began to sneak off when her mother and brother were asleep, teaching herself the skills she so desperately wanted to learn through trial and error. However, upon finding out her daughter was engaging in such activities, Crystal would often manipulate Gale into keeping watch over Tempest...despite them being practically the same age. Though Tempest attempted to try and convince her brother to run away and try to survive without their mother, her stubborn brother refused to cave to her wishes.

Between her brother's refusal to run off with her and her mother's growing criticism of her attitude, resentment slowly but surely began to bloom within the young she-wolf's heart. Still, she couldn't yet bring herself to run away from it all. Fearful of being out on her own without proper guidance, Tempest was trapped within a cycle of abuse that she was unable to escape from. Her anger only festered at this point and because of this she began to lash out more and more at those around her and further deepening the cycle of resentment and favoritism between herself and her family.

Finally Tempest reached a breaking point emotionally, realizing the cycle could not be broken by anyone other than herself as Gale was too wrapped up in their mother's mind games to break free himself. With each passing day she distanced herself emotionally from both Gale and her mother, refusing to even show her anger at this point. They didn't deserve a reaction of any sort in her eyes...it would only serve their mother more in controlling Gale. Still...she couldn't allow herself to be open or vulnerable with her brother, unable to trust him due to their mother's control over him.

Tempest would still sneak off well into the night, practicing her hunting and fighting skills she had slowly been teaching herself over the years. Often she would observe other predators whilst they hunted, trying her best to learn their tactics in the hopes of adopting some of them to suit her own desires. Quietly she began to prepare herself, as fearful as she was deep down of being on her own...she knew the only way she could find freedom was if she broke away on her own. From a distance she watched as her mother broke Gale down more and more with each passing day...it seemed he was finally learning what she had learned early on- there was no real way to please their mother. The more one gave, the more she would take...until there was nothing left. As much as Tempest wished to tell Gale of her plans and to help free him of the toxic cycle they were born into...she couldn't bring herself to trust him enough not to tell their mother.

The time had finally come where she felt confident enough in her abilities to survive on her own. The night she left her family was a rainy one, her scent easily washed away by the storm. For miles she walked, putting as much distance between herself and the den they called home for all her life. The longer she traveled...the less daunting it seemed. Still, the loneliness she felt was a heavy feeling indeed. A part of her felt guilty for leaving Gale behind to deal with the repercussions of her own actions, still she finally had her freedom. That was a good enough reason to be happy...right?

The more the time passed, the worse she felt for abandoning Gale. She remained stagnant, unable to travel further due to her guilt and shame. Though Tempest prided herself on being the braver of the two siblings...she didn't feel very courageous for leaving her brother behind to pay for the brunt of her decision to leave. She knew deep down it would have only made it harder for him to leave on his own now that their mother had already driven her off... Eventually Tempest made up her mind...she had to go back for Gale. She planned on confronting her mother and calling her out for all the years of selfishness and gaslighting the she-wolf had put them both through.

It took a few days of travel, but eventually she made it back to her old home. She found her mother on her own, overlooking the edge of the ravine near their den site. She looked shaken up and was crying- though Tempest was not sure why...she just couldn't bring herself to care. She had spent her whole life a prisoner under her care, and she had spent days lamenting over what to say. There was no way any tears would stop her from laying into the she-wolf with years worth of fury that had built up.

When Tempest emerged from the shadows, her mother looked surprised and elated...at first. Crystal lavished her in compliments, calling her the true 'good' child of hers compared to Gale- that useless boy who dared lashed out at her after all she had done for him. Tempest, though caught off-guard that Gale had finally told their mother off, seemed unsympathetic at best. Finally, Tempest told her true intentions...she was here to get Gale and nothing more. She could barely restrain herself as she laid into her mother herself, calling her every ill name under the sun and wishing she had been born to a she-wolf who had the ability to love more than just herself. It was at this moment her mother snapped, both of her children daring to criticize her within such a short time was too much for her unstable mind to take. She lunged at Tempest with accusations of corrupting Gale on her tongue, pinning the surprised daughter to the ground as she snapped at her throat. Her mother, as cruel as she was, never resorted to violence of this scale before. Still, Tempest reacted as quickly as she could as she placed her legs against her mother's belly and kicked with all her might. Between her youthful strength and incredulous fury, her mother was sent flying off of her in almost an instant...right over the edge of the ravine. Seeing Crystal clinging to the edge for her life, she pleaded with Tempest to help her.

However before Tempest could decide on what to do, it was too late. Her mother's weight forced the earth she clung onto desperately to crumble as she fell over the edge. Tempest attempted to rush over to help...but her mother was already more than halfway down by the time she peered over the edge. Tempest was shaken to the core as she witnessed her mother's body hit the ground. Sickened by the sight...she couldn't help but back away fearfully. This was far from what she had intended to happen and now she had no idea on what to do to fix it. She couldn't go back to Gale, not after what she had done unintentionally to their mother... Tempest lamented on what to do to fix this, but realized that there was nothing she could do to undo her actions.

So, once again she ran from her problems, this time for good. As far as she was concerned the bridge with her brother was as good as burnt once he found their mother at the bottom of the ravine. He would never want anything to do with her again once he realized Tempest was behind their mother's untimely death. So she kept running in a desperate attempt to put as much distance between herself and the past. Eventually she found her way to the Domain, with the scent of so many packs around, Tempest was careful not to tread on their territory. As lonely as she was...she felt she was better off that way. Perhaps a bit of her mother's gaslighting still managed to worm its way into her heart, she feared the packs and was unwilling to risk joining one lest she lose herself more than she already had. After encountering the aftermath of a Hive wolf attack, her opinion of packs was further solidified. The bloodshed was beyond abhorrent and unlike anything she had ever seen. The last thing she wanted was to fight a war she didn't know nor care about on anyone's behalf...she had already killed once and she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to do it intentionally.

Now she wanders the Domain on her own and struggles to survive with the few skills she's managed to teach herself. She is distrusting of her fellow loners, only partially aware that her mother's teachings to never trust outsiders is still impacting her life to this very day. Though she longs to find her brother she is held back by fear, fear of him finding out the circumstances behind their mothers death and the fear of his inevitable rejection of her due to this. It is a lonely life, but one she feels best suits her at this point. She didn't need anyone growing up, so why would she need anyone now?

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* Weasele's deviantART Gallery