Cassandra

Athena (Aunt)

Hedge (Uncle)

Adrian, Alexandro, Raphael, Storm, Teva, Lazarus, Tzuriel, Killian, Nero, Hawthorn, Imelda, Daenerys, Dyana, and Artemis (First Cousins)

## Application Sheet

Cassandra is the current Alpha of Aryn, a gray she-wolf with stone blue eyes. The niece of Lady Athena, cousin to Lord Raphael, she arrived in Aryn during his Inquisition and ultimately rebuilt Aryn after his supposed death in the Great Fire. She led her pack nobly through the Hive Wars, and adopted a daughter, Selena. Her story is ongoing. She was created and RP'd by SpookyWonders.

## Personality

[Insightful] [Importunate] [Self-Critical] [Unflappable] [Calculated] [Empathic] [Upstanding] [Passionate] [Spiritual] [Charismatic] [Merciless]

Cassandra seeks to become something more or rather someone of purpose. She is a wolf of her word offering little in the ways of deception and trickery. Make no mistake however, she is no fool, finding ways to defeat her opponent on her own terms. The tell old game of lies isn’t one she likes to play, shutting it down just as quickly as it starts. Her keen sense of awareness in the form of strategic analysis is one she is willfully skilled at. As such, the art of her skill is one that others should be wary of, for she is known to see through many and looks at every aspect of reasoning and observation.

Steady in the face of chaos and danger, Cassandra is one to hold down the fort with an air of calm composure that surrounds her. Commanding, yet laced with a gentle tone all her own, she isn’t afraid to take charge. Leaving little room for argument during such times, she can be difficult to read but her intentions remain in the best interest of getting through the situation.

Attentive and sincere, she has a way of understanding another’s hardships even in her own moments of doubt. She is compassionate towards others feelings and is willing to lend a helping hand, having a soft spot for the young and elderly. Her family history leaves her longing for that connection to them, as she missed a lot of time with them growing up. She especially regrets the time she lost with her Aunt Athena and cousins, which is why she will never give up on her family whether that be by ties of blood or bond. Always one to inspire or show anothers strengthens, those of which they can’t see within themselves. She is usually consistent in her hold of soothing charm, but at times can be overly persistent in her good natured attempts.

Her giving and caring nature however, can just as easily be broken when pushed to her limits. While Cassandra can be an upholding wolf, she values someone’s word and if she is ever crossed she will not hold back punishment. Heinous acts will only be met with judgment and punishment; a fate that is sealed the minute they are committed. A believer in the Great Spirit, she feels a connection to ‘The One’ as he led her back to her home and her family. And while she doesn’t forcefully push her beliefs onto others, she will help others who seek to find a connection or learn about Aryn’s religion.

At the end of the day, no matter how earnest or respectable Cassandra manages to be, she is young and always critical of her own judgement and character. A desire to uphold her legacy and be a wolf with the purpose she so seeks weighs her down in times of rest. When alone to the voices of her thoughts, she is questioning of her own position, longing to do better. However, no matter how much she breaks herself down, she never quits. Holding within her heart a strong feeling of purpose, she is committed and she refuses to faultier to her own self-judgement. At her lowest moments her thoughts drift toward her family and that alone gives her the strength to be better.

## Pre-Group History

Born in the earliest month of summer, Cassandra was her parent’s miracle. She was the only pup in her parent’s only litter of 4 to survive and the light of her father’s eye. While she had no siblings to play with or annoy her as she had heard they do many times from her father, she was happy. Being the center of her parent’s world, she was filled with their knowledge and skill. Even in the colder seasons, she always felt the warmth from their love fill her every being. However, it wasn’t always just the three of them. Oftentimes in her youth, to give her time with those her own age, her parents would bring her to a pack known as Aryn. Led by her aunt Athena, Cass would find kinship in a whole new light as she experienced pack life for those brief days during her visits.

Her father, Apollo, was separated from her aunt Athena’s band during the pack's exodus. It was in that separation that he found her mother and had since found the nomadic lifestyle he longed for. Although Aryn and his family always remained a part of him, so he loved filling Cassandra’s mind with wonder as he told stories of Aryn’s rich culture and spoke highly of his sister, whom he would brag was in the same litter as himself. Therefore, once her parents had started the visits to Aryn, they became some of Cassadras favorite moments. Athena was someone Cass always looked up to as a pup, she wanted to be just as brave and honorable as the leader she had heard in her father’s stories. The visits to Aryn made her feel at home, so much so, that just after the second visit she longed to stay. Her mother and father, however, wanted to keep the life they were used to, but encouraged her to follow her own desires. She promised them she would, but she wanted to stay with them for just a little longer, even through their vows to visit Aryn often.

Unfortunately all of that would change once darker times had struck her small family. For in the late call of winter, her mother had fallen terribly ill and they were too far from Aryn to ask the pack for help and support. They instead spent the remaining months cooped up together in a lonely cave. No matter what Cass and her father did or tried, her mother kept progressively getting worse. Until one fateful day she passed, wrapped tightly in the hold of Cassandra and her father. Nothing remained after that day, because with her mother’s death, her father had died alongside her. No longer would he offer any of the warmth he once held, instead a bitter cold surrounded him. A cold that reflected the harsh, burning freeze of the winter that had taken her mother.

Now he was only harsh to her, reflecting the pain he felt onto the only other wolf who could begin to sympathize with that pain. He had lost his mate and she had lost her mother, but the thought of them healing together was thrown out the window the second he shut down. No matter the conditions, however, she stayed with him through all his anger and all his pain. Which wouldn’t change until one fatal hunting trip, she was too lost in thought to notice the sharp edge of a thick branch that was headed in her direction. She should have met her fate that day, but her father had pushed her out of the way, taking the blow for her. Frozen pain encapsulated her, as her father broke down before her and in his final breaths spoke the words she had been longing to hear for so long. Three simple words that meant the world to her and filled her with agony and endearment all the same, he loved her. In all the harsh months they spent together alone, this moment made every bad memory fade and in that moment, she held onto him for dear life.  Staying beside him until day had turned to night, until her tears would no longer fall and she had nothing left but numbness.

After everything, Cassandra was left lost and alone for months, she felt worthless and drowned herself in blame. She no longer wished to continue on whatever path this was and ultimately gave in to sorrow. Yet, like a light at the end of a tunnel, a force pulled her to her feet. Drawing her to that distant view of the land she once knew, the land that held the remainder of her family. They were all she had left now it seemed and like the passing wind, her plan to join them had resurfaced. All that desire and hope peaked through as if something was calling to her, she couldn’t shake the feeling. So like fire in a storm, she started to grow until she had the strength to start her journey. The way back would be traveled alone, but she had their welcoming hugs and familiar smiles to look forward too.

*The end of her journey would come all too slowly, but as soon as she stepped onto Aryn soil, it was all worth it, for she was finally home.*

However, she would all too quickly discover that home was no longer in the same state as her pup hood visits. First she would be taken directly to her cousin, who now reigned as the new Lord of Aryn. The thought had tasted strange when first spoken, as she had presumed her aunt, Lady Athena would still be guiding Aryn. Before, she could linger on this question further, her own cousin had greeted her with a series of questions concerning her intentions coming to Aryn. Nonetheless, he had welcomed her because she was of blood relation and announced her willingness to permanently return to Aryn.

Yet, what she would discover next would rattle her to her core, Lady Athena, her idol, her aunt, her family was gone, murdered. It was as if everything she had been hoping for, all the anticipation built within her heart was shattered. Splintering off into pieces that at that moment seemed as if they were never coming back together. After the loss of her mother and father, her aunt's passing was like kicking a dead horse. Memories resurfaced then; last words, last looks, it was as if she could almost feel every scene that passed through her cloudy vision.

Long days had followed after as she was informed of everything that had happened to Aryn after Raph had taken up the mantle as Lord. Her home was no longer the place that accepted anyone in need, it no longer held the peaceful and happy air that always surrounded it. While her mind may have exaggerated certain portions, for the most part it was crystal clear in its views of this new Aryn. She knew this wasn’t right, this isn’t what her aunt would have wanted, this isn’t-it couldn’t be what the Great Spirit had foreseen. Aryn needed change, but for that change to happen, it needed to start with its current Lord.

Her heart ached at her cousin's inner torment, she longed to help him, understood some of his motives and reasons. Although it didn’t justify his behavior, she saw the hurt he was suffering, saw the young oddball that she tried to break out of his shell the few times they met as pups. While she couldn’t begin to comprehend the full extension of his pain she knew what it felt like to lose your parents and deep down she knew Raph couldn’t be happy with what's become of Aryn or himself. Therefore, when the spark of rebellion had begun to rally, she stood behind it fiercely. She knew this change needed to happen, but she always tried at every opportunity to speak to her cousin, make him see to reason. Although the day it did come, the day he finally understood what he had brought to Aryn was nothing to celebrate.

Hot orange flames painted Aryn and the fire Raph had set only continued to build in mass. Illuminating the sky with a large cloud of black smoke whose presence stung eyes and choked the air completely out of all that dare fight it. It was within this chaos that something had changed within her cousin. As the fire breathed throughout Ayrn’s main densite, it's flames melted away any previous life from its grasp, even causing the once tall and mighty Old Rowan tree to fall in a heap of ash. However, this death had brought rebirth, a promise of spring, a call to a new future to hopefully shine through in a time of need.

*Ayrn could rebuild, they were strong, they were a family and now, Cassandra was their Lady.*