Matthias

Ariadne (Sister)

Orestes (Brother, NPC)

## Application Sheet

Matthias was a red-furred wolf with deep fern-green eyes. He joined the pack of Mhor when it first settled in the Domain, under Archqueen Rowena, and he serves as a Scourger. He has a familiar companion, an eastern copperhead snake, who he knows by the name of Amelia, but whose true name is unknown. Matthias's story is ongoing. He was created and RP'd by 4everhound.

## Personality

* ***Curious.*** Matthias wants to know everything there is to know about the world. He loves to hear about different perspectives, different natural phenomena, different just about anything. His desire to know more fuels him into being the best at his task as he can be. Not particularly out of competitiveness, but as a result of constantly pushing himself to know more, to *see* more. Almost contrarily, Matthias' favorite things are the occurrences and phenomena that cannot be reasonably explained by normal means. And endless, seemingly unsolvable mystery is just what a young mind such as his needs to keep itself sharp.
* ***Adventurous.*** Matthias lives for adventure. A wolf who throws caution to the wind for a chance to explore, he is a thrill-seeker to the core. He sees no point in sitting still or staying at home, instead wanting to get out there and see all that he can in the world. Nothing excites the young male more than the prospect of adventure, and appealing to his sense of adventure is the easiest way to sway him.
* ***Amicable.*** Matthias is a good natured soul through and through. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body, and tends to approach others the way he does everything else: with earnest excitement and curiosity. Matthias enjoys company, to the point where he doesn't fancy being on his own for long periods of time. He strives to make as many friends and meet as many new faces as possible, and there are few more sociable than he.
* ***Brazen**.* As a young wolf, Matthias still has a thing or two he needs to learn about respect. Not that he goes out of his way to mouth off; far from it. He just doesn't take kindly to those who try to obstruct his fun on the grounds of *"you're too inexperienced"* or *"it's not safe"*. He doesn't fully understand why he shouldn't be allowed to do things other wolves can, or why he has to address them a certain way, or why any of it matters so much. Matthias would much prefer to talk to everyone as if they were his friends which, though well-meaning, can come across as rude or undisciplined. This is often a hindrance to him, but his boldness also keeps him from cowering in fear from those who might mean him harm.
* ***Inquisitive**.* Matthias likes a good mystery and, once unearthed, does whatever it takes to solve it. He has made a fair amount of wondrous discoveries that way, things he would never have seen or heard of had he simply turned away and minded his own business. Be that as it may, however, this trait also means he has a tendency to put his nose where it doesn't belong. As expected, many of his troubles have resulted from Matthias looking too far or hearing too much, when he should have left well enough alone.
* ***Clingy***. Though he does not recognize it for what it is, Matthias suffers from something akin to separation anxiety. He dislikes being alone, and finds himself fretting (if only internally) whenever a friend goes away somewhere without him. He'll begin to turn that worry inward, believing he is the one at fault and something he did must have pushed them away. If it gets bad enough, this in turn spurs him into hanging around the wolf in question to the point of intrusiveness, which *is* what will drive them off.
* ***Lax**.* Matthias, in line with his carefree attitude, does not take things as seriously as he should. He is always one to look on the brighter side of things, but there comes a time when a wolf needs a clear head to make rational decisions. Matthias, in short, is no such wolf. In order to keep the mood light, and to keep himself from facing his own problems, he will pretend all is well and there is nothing to worry about, and might even start believing it if he says it often enough. This can make it rather difficult for anyone to have a serious conversation with him. Along the same lines, Matthias has issues with responsibility. He can do the work that needs to be done, but may struggle with putting his foot down when the situation calls for it, especially when doing so "puts a damper on everyone's fun".
* ***Troubled**.* Beneath his cheerful and outgoing exterior lies a wolf plagued by feelings of loneliness and inadequacy. Ever since learning how his mother truly felt about him, Matthias can't help but feel he's lacking in something, or everything. He had managed to drive his own parent away just by *being there*. He'd ruined someone's life without even knowing. How could he ever make up for something like that, or keep it from happening again? Matthias cherishes all the wolves in his life, but what did they have to gain from being around *him?* What does *he* contribute? And how could he be certain that the smiles they give him aren't fake, and that they don't despise him just like she did? These fears haunt him, lurking in the back of his mind, telling him that no matter what he tries to do, he will never be enough for anyone.

## Pre-Group History

Matthias' mother Amelia was a young female of great beauty among her pack. She and her mate, Liam, were well-respected members of the pack, and worked flawlessly as a team on hunting and scouting missions. However, while their work relationship was good, their intimate relationship left much to be desired. At first glance, Liam was everything anyone could want in a mate: He was strong, handsome, hardworking and always had the pack's best interests at heart. But while all of those things were true, he was severely lacking in social skills. He had a poor sense of humor, always addressed everyone with stiff formality--including his own mate--and never thought about anything besides work. Liam loved Amelia, and she cared a great deal for him, but she also couldn't help but look on longingly at other couples having the time of their lives together, while she stayed behind and helped Liam organize another hunt, his idea of a romantic outing.

The pair already had a litter, three strong males who were shaping up to be much like their father. One day, one of her sons returned from a scouting mission and reported the scent of a stranger near the pack's borders. The search parties scoured the land for the loner, but it was Amelia who'd found him first. Or rather, he'd allowed her to find him first. He was a striking red male with brilliant green eyes, and appeared before Amelia while she was searching alone. He claimed to have let his scent linger on the borders in the hopes of drawing her out specifically, as he had seen her on scouting missions several times already. She wanted to call for the pack immediately, but the stranger convinced her that he meant no harm and only wanted to get to know her better. Intrigued, and secretly flattered, Amelia agreed to keep quiet and ended up spending the whole afternoon talking to him. He was charming and witty, and a free spirit just like she was. Amelia left with the promise to return soon, and told her pack that the stranger's scent had led out of the territory, thus calling off the search.

Over the next few weeks Amelia met with the red stranger, who shared with her all kinds of secrets about the land and about himself (supposedly), telling her that someone as fiery and spirited as she was deserved the best life had to offer. It worked wonders, and the more enchanted Amelia became with him, the less she became with Liam, to the point that she hardly stayed in the den with him anymore. At first, it was easy to deflect his and her pack's suspicions with excuses, but Amelia's luck ran dry upon discovering that she was pregnant. Panicked, she abandoned her pack in the hopes of finding the red stranger again, planning to confess both her love and her pregnancy to him. When she came to their meeting place, however, his scent was stale. Amelia lingered for days waiting for him. He never returned. Out of options, she hid in the cave they'd shared and birthed the pups there, and it was there that the pack, led by Liam, discovered them. Furious and heartbroken, the male demanded Amelia's head then and there, but was forced to stand down by the alphas. They instead exiled her and made her take one of her newborn sons with her as a testament to her sin. She chose the sole red pup to remind her of the charming loner, but never discovered what became of the rest of her litter.

Matthias was a happy-go-lucky pup, always curious and full of energy. He didn't want for anything as his mother provided for all of his needs, and for a time, both were happy. As time went on, though, Amelia's love for her son began to sour. Life without a pack was a difficult one, and having a pup to constantly feed and defend from predators left her scarred and exhausted. She longed for her old life with her old pack, and grew to miss even boring old Liam. Matthias' red coat, which she'd always admired, became the source of her hatred. She still provided for the pup, but barely interacted with him besides that, and Amelia knew it wouldn't be long before she snapped completely. Her son continued to grow and learn, unaware of her festering resentment, and was on the verge of becoming a young adult. Though he reached the age when most wolves would separate from their parents in search of new homes, he did no such thing, and stuck close to Amelia. Amelia, meanwhile, decided that Matthias--no longer her beautiful son but now the spawn of that good-for-nothing male--was no longer worth keeping around, and sought for a way to be rid of him without getting her own paws dirty.

The answer came to her in the form of a terrible snowstorm, the worst anyone had ever seen in living memory. Amelia knew her chances of surviving without a pack were slim, but Matthias' chances of surviving were none, inexperienced as he was. And so Amelia plotted to steal away during the night and leave her child behind without his realizing. She would have, but Matthias awoke to find his mother at the den entrance, her back to him. When he made to follow, Amelia finally snapped. She rounded on him and told him, in no uncertain terms, how much worse her life had gotten because of his father. Because of *him.* She told him how much she hated seeing him every day, plastering a thin smile to her face and pretending to remotely care about him. She spoke of her old life and how much better it had been before he came. Finally, Amelia told him her plans of leaving. "Do not follow me," were her last words to him, "or your journey ends here and now." Stunned, Matthias could do nothing but watch as she ran off into the darkness, never to be seen again.

Finally realizing the full extent of his abandonment, his mother's cruel words pressing down upon his soul, Matthias' heart broke, and he lost the will to live. He would have succumbed to the cold that night, but was found and taken in by members of a nearby pack. They brought him in, warmed him up and proceeded to care for him as if he were their own. Slowly, his heart began to piece itself back together, and within weeks he was back to his cheerful self, more or less. Though he had an uncertain future ahead of him, the young male knew he could tackle it head-on and come out on top. He would do anything they wanted, become anything they needed, so long as he never had to be alone again.

## Trivia

* Matthias enjoys strenuous exercises and somehow always has energy to spare.
* He does better in speed-based competitions than strength-based.
* Matthias fancies himself a good dancer. He's actually terrible (can sing very well, though).
* Ghost stories are his favorite.
* Is fond of spinning tales about the places he visits.
* He has trouble sleeping if no one else is in the immediate vicinity. How bad it is depends on location. Generally, he has a much easier time when surrounded by trees and able to hear the many sounds of the forest.

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* 4everhound's deviantART Gallery