Ariadne

Matthias and Orestes (Brothers)

## Application Sheet

Ariadne was a light brown she-wolf with a darker underside and pine green eyes. She was born outside of the Domain, alongside brothers, Matthias, who she later reunited with in Mhor, and Orestes. Ultimately, she left Mhor and started a life as a loner, alongside a familiar, an osprey named Zephyr. After falling in love with Anakoni of Fellfang, she gave birth to his pups, Emrys and Penrose, in the pack of Chandor, where her story is ongoing. Ariadne was created and RP'd by 4everhound.

## Personality

* ***Quick-witted.*** Ariadne is a very keen wolf and remarkably quick on the uptake. She lives by her wits and believes cleverness and cunning are the only tools a wolf needs in order to survive. As such, she is highly observant and has a knack for reading others. Ariadne also possesses sharp reflexes and, while she'd rather have time to plan ahead, is more than capable of thinking on her feet.
* ***Diligent.*** Ariadne is meticulous almost to a fault. She values routine and hardly deviates, and has developed a strong work ethic as a result. She sets out to accomplish whatever goals she has in mind, and can be counted on to complete any task she is given to the best of her (considerable) ability. Ariadne is someone who takes great pride in her work, and will never be caught cutting corners or slacking.
* ***Empathetic.*** This is a side of her that is rarely shown, but present regardless. Ariadne doesn't go out of her way to put herself in another's place, but every now and then even she finds herself sympathizing with someone else's plight, especially one that mirrors her own struggles. When that happens, she is a kind and considerate friend who will lend an ear to listen and a shoulder to lean on.
* ***Reserved.*** Secrets are valuable, and Ariadne keeps all of hers close to her chest. She seldom opens up and doesn't appreciate anyone's attempt to get her to do so. She refuses to leave herself vulnerable for someone to take advantage of, and so whatever details she shares about her past are usually trivial and meaningless, if not outright fabricated.
* ***Stringent.*** In general, Ariadne is rather rigid and strait-laced. She doesn't tolerant laziness or tardiness, and will make her displeasure known if she catches anyone not doing their job. While she does help to maintain order this way, she will often come across as overly strict and uncompromising.
* ***Childish**.* Beneath her prim-and-proper persona, Ariadne is a fairly short-tempered and impatient female. Her brief time as honorary royalty has led her to expect to have her wishes granted immediately and to her liking. Her mood worsens if something doesn't go her way, which affects her judgement and ability to think rationally. She holds grudges for arbitrary reasons and would rather jump in a river than admit to making a mistake.
* ***Haughty**.* Insecurity in herself and resentment at the world manifest in this she-wolf as a fairly large ego. She has an air of superiority about her that has largely gone unchecked, and she places a lot of stock in her own intellect and skill. Truthfully, while she is astute and dedicated, Ariadne is a young wolf who is still learning about herself and the world, and is naturally still inexperienced in many areas she pretends to be an expert on.
* ***Distrustful**.* Ariadne is highly suspicious of just about everyone. She had learned early in life that wolves who take interest in her usually do so for nefarious reasons, and it takes a long while for her to relax around others. She has a hard time believing that someone can be friendly just for the sake of it, or that someone does a good deed just because it is the right thing to do, and is more inclined to think about possible ulterior motives.

## Pre-Group History

Ariadne had been born into Beserion, a large pack by the coast, where her mother had once been a respected huntress. That is, until she succumbed to temptation and allowed herself to be seduced by an outsider. In doing so, Amelia had disrespected not only her mate and sons, but also her entire pack, who took marital vows very seriously. Normally, the punishment for adultery would be death, but the current alpha was different than most. Kinder. More lenient.

He decided that she was to be exiled, along with one of the pups she'd borne. There were three in all. The pups' sire had been red, and so was the son she'd decided to take. When she-wolf left, the pack deliberated on what to do with the remaining litter.

While the pups were sequestered away with a nursing mother, the wolves debated heatedly. Some, like the alpha female and Liam, Amelia's former mate, demanded that creatures born of such treachery had no place in Beserion, and must be disposed of immediately. Others, like the alpha male and Liam's sons, protested that spilling the blood of newborns is also against pack law, regardless of where they'd come from. The argument carried on for days, and threatened to split the pack in two.

Eventually, it was the alphas' son, next in line for the title, who suggested a compromise. The pups would live and be allowed to stay in Beserion, but the price for their lives would be their freedom.

Ariadne was raised in Beserion alongside her brother, Orestes. They may have been members of the pack, but the wolves made it clear that it was not their home.

The young members of Beserion would scorn and mock them, going out of their way to exclude the two from everything–games, meals, the nicest parts of the den. The adults were worse. They'd snap, nip, and shoo the pups away, gorging themselves during every meal so that only scraps were left for the pair. They didn't bother hiding their contempt, saying that their mother was a disgrace, their father a nameless rogue. The only reason Ariadne and her brother were alive at all was because of the ruling family's generosity. The two were always given the dirtiest chores, the most tedious tasks.

Even the pups' half-brothers, the ones who'd argued to spare them, had only done so to preserve Beserion's honor, and because, in their opinion, as the products of Amelia's misdeeds, it was Ariadne and Orestes' duty to atone for them in her place. The alpha male stepped in occasionally, but every time he did, he would anger his mate, who despised them. He interfered less and less. All the rest kept silent, for one reason or another. Either way, the result was the same. The pups lived on the fringes of society, alone and abandoned.

Ariadne and Orestes had no one to rely on but each other.

They huddled together, night after night, talking. First they talked about their mother, wondering where she was and hoping that one day she would return to claim them and take them away from this life. But time went on, and no one came looking for them. The two had tried to run away once out of desperation, but had been caught and severely punished for it. Afterwards, they realize that even if they had escaped, they had nowhere to go. So instead, they began to plan. If they couldn't leave or find a new home, they would have to make one for themselves, right here in Beserion.

As Ariadne grew, she started to notice that the males in the pack would turn to look at her wherever she went. They leered and whispered. The feeling was different from the scornful gazes of her youth, but in some ways, it was even worse. At least when she was a pup, others went out of their way to ignore her. Now, all they did was watch her. Intently. She complained to her brother, who assured her that her newfound "popularity" could only be of use to them.

By the time Ariadne and Orestes had come into young adulthood, the alpha pair had grown weak and frail. Soon, it would be time for their son, Kirin, to take the helm. When that happened, he would be expected to take a mate, a sweet but plain she-wolf his parents had picked for him. He accepted without protest, but Ariadne felt what he could not say. She felt it whenever his eyes skipped over his betrothed and rested on her instead. She'd always felt uncomfortable when the other males did it, but here Ariadne tolerated it, because while she kept the young heir distracted, Orestes was free to enact his part of the plan.

When it was time, the siblings hesitated briefly. This was the most dangerous part, for both of them. But they had no other choice. With a solemn farewell and a promise to return, Orestes ran off into the night, when the border guards were changing shifts. His disappearance was reported the next day, and Ariadne played the part of a distraught sister, devastated by the loss of her only family. Just as she expected, Kirin stepped in. He acted like a saint, a noble wolf consoling a lowly packmate, far more than she deserved. And she, of course, accepted his "support" gratefully. In doing so, Kirin got to keep Ariadne close without looking suspicious, and Ariadne got something no other wolf, not even his betrothed, had–the prince's ear.

And soon after, that prince became a king.

It didn't take long for Ariadne to suggest certain...changes, to the pack's structure. Security became more lax, the laws less enforced, the wolves less vigilant. Just small, gradual changes posed as harmless suggestions. No one thought anything of it. And while she advised Kirin, Ariadne secretly traveled to the borders every few days, awaiting news from Orestes. Just as she'd begun to worry, a bird arrived to deliver a message, and when she heard it, she smiled.

The next morning was the day Kirin was to be wed. He'd put it off for weeks, but now the pack was getting impatient, and the time for stalling had passed. Instead of saying his vows, however, the young king made a shocking announcement: He outright refused to marry his betrothed, stating he had fallen in love with Ariadne instead, eliciting shocked gasps from the gathering. The pack expressed their outrage and disbelief. As for Ariadne herself, she was overwhelmed…

...with pity.

At that moment, wolves burst into the clearing. There were many of them, all rogues, and leading the charge was none other than Orestes. The battle that ensued was bloody, but brief. Taken by surprise, Beserion's already weakened defenses crumbled. The previous leaders had fallen in battle, with Kirin and his followers being executed at a later date. Ariadne did not enjoy violence, but she knew Kirin had been part of the scum that had made her childhood a living hell, and so he had no place in the new era she and her brother would usher in as King Orestes and Princess Ariadne.

Weeks passed, and the pack was already undergoing some drastic changes. Before the new rulers could fully settle into their new roles, however, there was one thing that needed to be taken care of. Orestes informed her that, during his travels, he had gotten wind that a she-wolf matching their mother's description had been seen heading north to unknown lands just before the snows came, a young red male traveling with her. That was all she needed to hear.

Leaving a trusted ally in charge of the pack, Orestes and Ariadne set off to confront their mother and reunite with their lost sibling, who they felt deserved to share in their glory and live the life he should've had from the beginning. When they finally found Amelia, they were disappointed to discover that she was alone, and wanted nothing to do with them. This angered them, but the siblings spared her in exchange for information on where their red littermate, Matthias, was located. The answer they received was disheartening: Matthias was far, far away, in an unknown land rife with danger. Going after him would be perilous, and yet they could not afford to leave Beserion any longer than they already have.

The siblings were forced to make a difficult decision: Ariadne would continue the search for Matthias, while Orestes stabilized his rule and prepared the pack for their return. For the first time in their lives, the pair would truly be separated, but they assured each other that the reward would be worth the risk. Sharing an emotional farewell, they parted ways with the promise to reunite one day–all three of them.

Ariadne now scours the domain in search of the brother she's never met. As she does, she can't help but feel there's something off about this land. Something foreign and dangerous stalked the hills, something that put her ill at ease no matter where she was. She told herself it didn't matter. She would find Matthias soon. Then she would bring him home to a life of opulence and luxury, and they could finally leave this wretched place–and their wretched pasts–far behind.

## Trivia

* Ariadne shares her willow bark-esque scent with her mother and brothers, but uses lavender as a way of distancing herself from the former.
* She greatly resembles her mother, with the sole differences being that her coat is brown instead of black, and her eyes are green instead of yellow (and her rust gradients, which came from her father's side).
* Ariadne is the second-born of her litter.

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* 4everhound's deviantART Gallery