Hera

Ambrose and Hieronymus (Brothers)

Zinnia and Aja (Sisters)

Hera was a dark, warm-brown-furred she-wolf with sunset orange eyes. She was born to two refugees of Havir, former High Priest Silvanus and Dahlia, in Vale. She was one of four pups, including Ambrose, Zinnia, and Hieronymus. After the pack prepared to leave the Domain, she made her way to the neighboring pack of Aryn, where she settled into the pack on the eve of war, with her brother, Hieronymus. During the Hive Wars, she went to help her mother with her newborn pup sister, Aja - and during this time, Alt!Silvanus tracked them down. After witnessing Silvanus fatally wound her mother, Hera teamed up with Zinnia to kill their father, and they took Aja to Aryn with them. Her story is ongoing, after becoming mates with Seava. She was created and RP'd by SilverPocky.

## Personality

* ***Confident and Self-Assured.*** Because of a positive and nurtured upbringing Hera is pretty confident in herself, and though she is aware of her flaws and areas that she’d like to improve, she does not see it as weakness but rather room for growth. Negative comments, and attempts to lower her self-esteem are largely ineffective (unless coming from someone she cares about) and is usually meant with silence and indifference, or a cold retort about  the culprits weakness.
* ***Genuine.*** Hera is extremely sincere and inherited her mother’s disdain for lying, though in her own odd way; She can lie fine, if the situation calls for it, but on a normal basis Hera finds she just naturally speaks what she truly feels or thinks. She is not averted to or ashamed of showing her like or dislike for something and will often verbally make this known. In addition Hera  is nearly incapable of being passive aggressive or secretive, and prefers to have most things out in the open.
* ***Passionate and Caring.*** Despite her impassive expressions and deadpan responses, on the inside Hera is an extremely passionate individual whether it be in regards to love for her family, love for the gods, or passion for her interests. Though her words may not carry the abundance of her care, Hera makes up for this with her actions whether it be through gifts, extra work, or warm cuddles.
* ***Diplomatic and Articulate.*** Even as a pup Hera quickly picked up on her parent’s vocabulary and oddly speaks with a high level of articulation though her reasoning and ideas are still that of a child. Even still when Hera is after something whether it be extra food or a peaceful resolution of a squabble between her siblings, she will attempt to calmly direct and de-escalate the situation until it is settled. She will later apply these skills to negotiations and meetings with others.
* ***Headstrong and Unyielding.*** Hera has a tendency to be set in her beliefs and way of doing things and has a hard time changing her ways for anyone except for her family. Even still she is unlikely to be swayed by others opinions unless she is shown definitive proof which has the potential to offend certain individuals even when she doesn't mean to.
* ***Ingenuous and Blunt.*** Hera has no restraint on her words and will bluntly state what she thinks of feels even if it hurts others, believing it is better to be honest and potentially cruel, rather than dishonest and misleading. For certain individuals she will try and and reign in her words and find a nicer way to say things, but she is not often successful.
* ***Emotional.*** Despite what her expressions lead many to believe Hera feels often, and rather intensely, though she never lets it troubles others with it and prefers to handle them on her own. Most times her emotions truly get the better of her when she experiences anger toward an adversary or enemy to her family. When feeling intense anger her already chilled voice goes colder giving way to a malicious vibe. In contrast when Hera is feeling completely relaxed or feeling affectionate, her face reflects a more relaxed aura and she tends to express it through touch rather than speech.
* ***Persuasive and Cunning.*** Hera is slowly becoming a master of her words and found that saying or doing the right thing can yield results she wants. Still too young to completely hone this skill, she is only somewhat successful in her attempts but is on the way to being an influential speaker whether it be for the greater good or otherwise.
* ***Reclusive and Isolated.*** If she is left alone without her brother or other siblings around Hera has a tendency to become very quiet and uncomfortable even if she is in the company of other pack mates. This trait is also non-existent when around someone she knows well (and likes), or when she is in the company of her parents, but meeting new individuals and handling social situations makes her testy and likely to shut down or stay almost completely silent. Hera relies on no one, she can't bring herself to trust others outside of her family, and this makes her social life quite bleak.
* ***Detached.*** If she feels it necessary Hera has an incredibly easy time detaching her emotions from a situation or individual should she feel they are not conducive to her wants, needs, or are a threat to her family. In situations where her emotions get in the way of her progress or her rational Hera is prone to repressing her feelings until she feels she can do what needs to be done even if it means hurting another.
* ***Recalcitrant.*** If an adult she does not know well or respects attempts to give her an order or direction Hera can be quite reluctant, and won’t readily trust someone simply because of their age. She respects ranks and is more willing to listen to highly ranked wolves who are trusted by the pack but even then she is hesitant and will need to see their skill with her own eye before completely following their wishes.
* ***Manipulative and Sadistic.*** Hera has developed quite the manipulative mind when it comes to other wolves, often time she has no motives but practicing using and manipulating others just to prove to herself she can. Usually Hera doesn't mean any true harm, but if malice or bitterness towards and individual is in her mind her sadistic qualities and want to trick and fool her target shine much brighter. Once you're on her bad side she has no qualms torturing you and causing harm.

## Pre-Group History

She is the only one of her siblings to carry a darker pelt and was born third in a litter between the loving Dahlia and doting Silvanus, Hera was raised in the newly peaceful Vale but taught extensively her roots and origin; Havir. Despite the encouragement and healthy rearing she is rather inexpressive and anti-social.

## Group History

Hera was a bold pup, and snuck out of the den on a few occasions. At one point, she was followed by her sister, Zinnia, and they got to look at pretty butterflies. She also enjoyed spending time with her parents, and with one of the pack's Porters, Marrok, who often pup-sat and told great stories.

Early on, Hera wanted to learn about the duties of a Sentinel, and she asked Loki, one of the pack's Betas, about his duties. She approached her uncle, Quinn, to ask him to teach her about strength, and her grandfather's method of training. At her request, he took her on an outing, when they ended up getting attacked by a pair of loners. Later, he showed her the dark side of strength, by attacking her, and terrifying her for the first time in her life. Her grandfather's way of training, evidently, was harsh.

Later, Hera approached one of the new wolves in the pack: Venus. They discussed the pack and their respective skills, with Hera announcing that she wanted to join the Highland Guard. She announced her intentions to Loki, who agreed to let her take up the task. That didn't mean she didn't continue learning from Quinn about hunting, and on one of these outings, they crossed paths with Claire and Ranna. Ranna quickly hid Claire away, and Hera and Quinn subdued Ranna before bringing her into Vale for questioning.

While patrolling the borders, she met a wolf from Aryn - Seven - who explained that she was seeking to speak to her half-brother, Loki. While they walked back, Seven sought advice on dealing with a problem she was having with her childhood friend Lazarus. Hera provided some sound opinions, but ultimately didn't have much experience to offer firsthand advice to Seven. Still, she liked the Arynian, and the two could, perhaps, be considered friends.

Tragedy struck the pack, however. Something was amiss with her father, and nobody knew what it was. Ambrose went to investigate, and was never seen again. The family grieved in different ways - Zinnia left the pack, and Dahlia confronted Silvanus to trigger his alternate ego, and cast him out of their home.

Hera was devastated by these developments. She went to the High Council and Loki, and gave an impassioned plea to these high-ranking wolves, to infiltrate Vektren and try to find her father and Ambrose. She was *convinced* that their disappearances were connected to Vektren. She made an excellent argument, but Loki was staunchly against it, and warned her not to bring it up again.

Instead, he sent Hera and Venus to scout near Highvalley, though she admitted to her brother, Hiero, that she suspected he was just sending her away. Hiero promised that he would always be there for Hera, if she needed anything going forward. She also told him that she didn't trust Loki.

Upon her return, Loki announced that Vale needed to leave its territory, and find new hunting grounds, on account of strange deaths and low prey numbers. Hera resolved to leave Vale, and instead, set her sights on Aryn - a pack at war with Vektren. She wanted the opportunity to infiltrate or attack the pack, and so, she decided to join Aryn. Her brother, Hieronymus, went to Aryn and joined the ranks.

Then, the leaders of Aryn - Athena and Alcatraz - were killed. Hera was enthusiastic about joining a patrol with the new leader, Raphael, when he asked for volunteers to chase down the Vektreni and take back the alphas' hearts. And so, she joined Raphael, Storm, Urs, and Aivar in a battle party, and she followed them to the Battle of Muckrun.

Hera fought one-on-one against Morrigan, not managing to deliver many blows to the tiny she-wolf, who fought mostly by clinging to Hera's back. When Morrigan was thrown off, she followed Urs and Aivar in a retreat, as they had collected one of their target hearts, and needed someone to keep up with them and offer protection.

The pack settled into a tense period known as the Inquisition, under Raphael's rule. Hera was treated with some suspicion, but mostly because she had come from outside of the pack originally. She had to keep her nose down.

Hera sought an audience with a wolf named Osiris (NPC). In order to do so, she needed to kill a wolf. She'd found a loner, one who was willing to harass nursing females, who had no family or connections. Feeling like he was a good target, Hera killed the loner without regret. She did what had to be done, plain and simple. She met with Osiris, and provided him with critical information that he wanted in exchange for information *Hera* wanted, about her family.

Hera was not particularly connected to the Arynians. The only thing that mattered to her was her family, and so she did not connect to the rest of the pack for a while. She nearly came to blows with Lawson, while comparing their respective degrees of loss to Vektren.

Then, she met Seava. Seava tried to extend a branch of friendship, but a misunderstanding led to Hera snapping at Seava for thinking like her father Lawson, and storming off. The two would make up for it later, and slowly became friends.

Eventually, their friendship felt like it was developing into...something more. The two were exceptionally close.

Hera and Hieronymus would receive word from beyond Aryn's borders - their mother, Dahlia, was pregnant with another litter. Hera knew she had to go, to help her mother with caring for the baby, and Hiero was coming, too. When she told Seava that she was intending to leave, Seava was upset that she was being left behind.

But Hera asked Seava to come, and at first, Seava couldn't bring herself to leave her packmates. Hera was devastated - imagine the surprise when Seava raced to catch up with her as she approached the border!

They found Dahlia and her new pup, Aja, and spent a few days with her. Hera was happy to be reunited with her whole family - even Zinnia (and her traveling companion Silas) had arrived! For those few days, everything was delightful.

But then...Silvanus found them. Or, rather, Silvanus's alternate personality. Hera her siblings raced as fast as they could to help protect their mother, but when they arrived, Alt!Silvanus had already delivered a fatal bite to Dahlia's throat. Filled with fury and rage, Hera and Zinnia worked together to attack Alt!Silvanus and kill him.

As he died, his alternate personality relinquished its grip, and he congratulated his daughters for doing the right thing before dying. Hera and her siblings grieved their parents' deaths, burying them side-by-side, before they returned to Aryn, with Aja in their care.

After this horrific scene, there was a tension between Hera and Seava. They couldn't quite explain why it happened, but they were filled with regret over everything that had happened, and haunted by the bloody scenes they witnessed.

Time passed, and this distance grew. Eventually, Hera was scouting for prey with Lawson when he asked what was wrong with her, why she'd been so distracted and upset recently. She admitted how terribly things had gone with her parents, and the guilt she felt for endangering Seava. Lawson offered some comfort and advised her to speak to Seava.

She would do so, a short time later. The two wolves approached one another with apologies for letting the distance grow between them, and eventually, Hera decided to make the first move and confess to Seava that she loved her. Seava was stunned, but delighted, and admitted that she loved Hera, too.

Then, the Hive made its move. General Hex led an attack on Aryn, who were hosting Chandor at the time, catching everyone by surprise. Hera and Hieronymus focused on protecting Aja, having told her to take shelter during the fight, but Hera could only watch in horror as she struggled to fend off a Hive wolf, and another turned its sights on her sister.

Aja would stun Hera by killing the Hive wolf.

After the battle...

## Trivia

* Although physically capable in hunting and fighting, Hera also has a unique gift for diplomatic speech, and prefers debate to physical battle when there's a choice.
* Hera killed her father with help from her sister Zinnia, after witnessing him killing their mother.

## Quotes

* “This mission will not strain our resources or put anyone else at risk. Allow me to infiltrate their ranks become one of them and discover what they have hidden! The information I could obtain could be crucial to maintaining safety in Vale and even our Arynian allies! You have all seen my skill as a Highland Guard, I can handle this!” (making a case to Loki and the High Council, *Stronghold Showdown*)
* "Yes…my parents may be gone but their legacy is still here. I'm not sure how little Aja stays so bright and open despite it all, but perhaps I should learn from her." (to Lawson, *Therapeutic*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* SilverPocky's deviantART Gallery