Arlo

## Application Sheet

Arlo was a pale-furred young male wolf with sky blue eyes. He arrived in Mhor in the spring after the end of the Hive Wars, where he stayed briefly before venturing out again on his own, never to be seen again. Arlo was created and RP'd by Pinky-Poodle.

## Personality

* ***Timid and Awkward.*** Arlo is a wolf that practically oozes with insecurity. Self-doubt and worry plagues him constantly, making him come off as rather timid and shy. He makes it a point to stay in the background of most things and doesn’t like to get in the way. His interactions are a bit awkward as such.
* ***Cowardly.*** It doesn’t really matter what it is- if it activates his fight or flight reflex, Arlo will always choose flight. Whether it be going up against an opposing foe, or simply choosing to avoid a rather intimidating conversation, Arlo will avoid it if given the chance.
* ***Disciplined and Respectful.*** Not one to deviate or step out of line, Arlo does his best to follow rules and instructions so as to avoid trouble down the line, as well as staying civil and polite to his fellow packmates. Being bossed around is what he’s good at, but he doesn’t really mind- at the end of the day, all he really wants is to be useful in some small way.
* ***Observant and Alert.*** As someone constantly on edge and looking over his shoulder, Arlo has become someone who is always taking note of his surroundings and peers. His attentiveness to detail has been able to save his tail in many scenarios, and is something he relies on heavily in most situations.
* ***Resourceful and Adaptable.*** Having grown up in an unstable environment, Arlo has learned how to adjust to the twists and turns thrown at him while using whatever scarce resources available. As a result, he’s grown used to the “bare minimum” and doesn’t really expect a lot.
* ***Puplike and Needy.*** After being forced to grow up way too fast, Arlo still retains a shred of puplike behavior, and despite being considered a young adult now, Arlo doesn’t really feel like much of an adult at all. Because of this, he unintentionally flocks toward older wolves as a means of seeking a source of “parental” comfort, which doesn’t always work out. He can come off as much too needy and dependent at times.

## Pre-Group History

Born an only son to young and inexperienced loner parents, Arlo’s birth was met with more indifference than joy; His mother had never wanted children, had only done so as a last ditch effort to save her already failing mateship, and yet what was supposed to help fix said relationship, would only end up straining it more.

Arlo’s father was a strict and proud male, and perhaps this is why he only found contempt when looking down at their new offspring- This pup was small and frail in appearance, “much too fragile to survive the winter,” he had decided, pointedly ignoring Mother’s weak attempts to defend the child.

Sore from the disappointment her mate’s rejection brought her, Arlo’s mother struggled to form a bond with the small pup as a result, often feeling disconnected and resentful that he had failed in his one purpose. As Arlo grew and didn’t need constant care from her anymore, she began to leave him home alone for long periods of time, despite how much he would cry and beg for her to stay. The periods where she would leave him overnight were the worst, for every foreign sound would send him crawling to the very back corner of the den, where he would sob into his paws for hours before eventually succumbing to exhaustion.

Unfortunately, the times where she would stay were not much better either, for most of it was spent in heated arguments with his father. Arlo didn’t understand much of the complaints or accusations that were being thrown back and forth on the regular, but eventually the hostility started to become a thing of routine, a hectic normalcy that he almost found a strange sense of comfort in, for it meant at least they were there with him, rather than leaving him to his lonesome.

By the time he was a juvenile, his mother would begin allowing him to accompany her on hunts, however every little mistake or fumble would end in her snapping at him in frustration. Already an anxious child, he took her criticisms to heart, stuttering to her that he would do better. To which she would merely huff and turn her back on him, grumbling irritably under her breath as he sullenly trailed after her.

Try as he might though, it would seem that no matter what he did, he could never quite reach his parent’s approval, which they dangled over his head like a scrap of meat. As time continued to pass, they only seemed to grow more and more distant with him, until eventually they stopped returning to the den altogether.

And yet Arlo waited.

Surviving off squirrels and the occasional rabbit, Arlo made due with what he could, never straying too far from home in case his parents returned. As days turned to weeks, and weeks to months, Arlo continued to stay, holding onto that small shred of hope that told him eventually they would come back to him. But they never did. And eventually Arlo had to come to terms with the harsh reality that he was truly and officially alone.

With nowhere else to go, he continued his stay at the den for quite some time, before eventually being chased away by two brothers who wanted to claim the territory for themselves. Outnumbered and outmatched, Arlo had little choice but to depart the only home he’d ever known.

Shaken and disheartened, Arlo continued on with little faith as he now navigated unfamiliar territory. As weeks passed, hunger and overall inexperience eventually led him astray upon another pack’s territory, who were quick to confront him- This was Mhor’s territory, they had explained. But instead of being hostile, he was met with mostly pity, and after being given an invitation to stay and gather his bearings, he knew he was in no place to refuse.

Uncertain, but also relieved, Arlo is determined now to earn his keep.

## Group History

Despite his good intentions, Arlo struggled to find a place within the pack. Ilse tried to show him the ropes, but ultimately, after only a few months, Arlo departed from Mhor as quietly as he had entered.

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* Pinky-Poodle's deviantART Gallery