Etienne

Cyrille (Aunt, NPC)

Lou (Cousin, NPC)

Muirgen (Grandmother)

Pierrot (Uncle)

Caderyn (Grand-Uncle)

## Application Sheet

Etienne was a pale-furred wolf with dark markings on his back and face. The grandson of Muirgen, he arrived in the Domain and settled into Mhor, for a time, where he started learning how to be a Cleric; however, he soon decided Mhorian life was not for him, and left the Domain shortly thereafter. He was created and RP'd by The-Moniklr.

## Personality

* ***Articulate, Intuitive, and Astute.*** Perhaps his best traits revolve around his ability to talk with others. For his young age, Etienne is quite well-spoken - often speaking with the eloquence of a wolf at least twice his age. His silver-tongue and vocabulary are things he takes quite a bit of pride in, and thus he can often be found conversing just for the sake of it - even if his conversational partners are inanimate. Furthermore, this young wolf is surprisingly intuitive when it comes to reading those around him, and even more impressively astute in his handling of his own intelligence. With both, he can quite easily coax all the information he wants out of others, even if it is just one little tidbit at a time.
* ***Diplomatic, Willful, and Cordial.*** If you ask him, Etienne will easily confess that he'd rather stay clear of trouble (or more accurately avoid getting caught causing any). Thus he does his best to keep the wolves around him in neutral and content spirits. That being said, he's rather strong-headed and won't do anything he hasn't decided of his own volition - regardless of what others have to say about it. However, it must also be said that he will always treat other wolves with the utmost politeness. He's learned at a young age that out-spoken and forward opinions can lead to one's downfall. Thus there's no danger of Etienne retaliating to one's face.
* ***Selfish, Arrogant, and Judgmental.*** Everything Etienne ever does is own for his own personal gain - even being nice to others. He has great dreams for himself, and is wizened enough to know that friends make for better stepping stones than enemies do. To make his mental matters worse, saying that Etienne neatly categorizes everyone he meets is an understatement. If one word has been spoken to him, then he's already decided who you are, who you're going to be, and that you will never change. Thus, one must not mistake his acts of kindness and general friendliness for anything of the sort. Rather, one should question what he has to gain from doing so.

## Pre-Group History

The story of Etienne begins with two little sisters living in a bower, nestled away in a valley deep within the mountains. Their names were Cyrille and Cecilia. Together they grew in comfort – never knowing hunger or pain as their valley was always full of prey that practically hoped into their paws. So comfortable was their living, that rather than leave, they decided to stay.

No other wolves ever found them for their valley home was too deep and too secluded. Their paradise was their own. However, their peace was interrupted with the arrival of two injured brothers – Marcel and Yanick. The sisters tended to the strangers with great care and gusto, and as winter turned to spring, they became lovers, then partners – vowing to live peaceful lives within the valley and raise their children to do the same.

Here is where Etienne was born.

Etienne was the newest addition to the quickly growing familial pack. Though it had saddened Cecilia and Cyrille, most of his elder siblings and cousins had left the valley long before his birth, save for a smattering of the previous litters. The valley was bountiful, so they saw no need to rush their leaving, but wanted to leave all the same. Unlike their parents, they wanted to see what life was like beyond their quiet little valley. That didn’t keep the denspace from feeling far too small and stuffy upon his and his cousin Lou’s birth, however. Thus, the family set out to find a new part of the valley to live in – one that could accommodate all the wolves who lived there.

Perhaps that was their first mistake. As all good things must come to an end, summer turned to fall, and it was soon apparent that something was terribly wrong. Rain had caused their valley meadow to flood, and with fall came the frost. No plants grew, and thus the prey had fled instead of hunkering down to weather the coming winter. With nothing left, the family decided to move once again. They convinced themselves it would be temporary – a place they could survive until they could return. But life had another plan for them.

Never having experienced true hardship, Cecilia and Cyrille were next to useless when it came to providing for their family. Their hunting skills had been honed in that valley where they prey fed too often, and were too abundant for their own good. Marcel and Yanick had lost their edge from far too many seasons of easy hunting. And if the eldest adults could boast of mediocre skills at best, then their offspring’s skills were abysmal. By the time the first snow fell, the young wolves that had stayed either left or died in various hunting accidents.

By then, Etienne was old enough to begin observing the world around him, and he was quickly learning what an empty stomach felt like. He and little Lou would often fight over the measly scraps their parents could provide, and none of the adults had the energy to stop them.

Marcel was the first of the adults to go. He had sustained an injury too great, and with his malnourished state, he had no chance to fight the infection that stopped his heart. Heartbroken, Cecilia soon followed, entrusting her son to her sister with her dying breath.

For her part, Cyrille really did try to raise Etienne. But the hunger had already gotten too deep inside the pup and twisted him. He was cantankerous and loud – insulting anyone and everyone he could just for irritating him. Even when his stomach was full, he wouldn’t stop spouting his venomous words. Soon he was influencing Lou, whose own hunger had twisted her heart as well. They were making everyone around them miserable, but still Cyrille and Yanick tried to love them as family should.

The last straw came when, in an effort to keep the pups from fighting, Yanick attempted a solo hunt in a blizzard. When he didn’t return, Cyrille went out to look for him and found her worst nightmare. Yanick, blinded by snow, had fallen from a cliff and onto the cold hard ground below. When she told her pups the news, she was horrified to find that instead of mournful, the two of them simply called him stupid for not seeing the cliff-edge before returning to the horrid game they were playing.

It was then that Cyrille realized the whole of her situation for what it was and she could never look at her pups the same.

Months upon months of traveling saw Etienne and Lou grow. On the cusp of their juvenile-hood is when Etienne can say he truly became aware of the world around him. It was dark, grim, cruel, and full of misery - a misery he’d much rather accept and wallow in than try to fight. And so that was how he spent his days, noting the miseries around him and relaying them to his family as if no one else could see them.

Sometimes Lou joined in. Sometimes his Aunt Cyrille would tell him to be quiet. But most of them time no one paid him any mind. He was alone yet in the company of family, and he lamented this as well. None of which he ever saw changing. That was until one fateful spring evening.

In late spring, she began to urge them to follow a curious trail. Though suspicious, Etienne was still too naïve to do anything but trust her. Thus, they traveled, following this unknown scent well into the autumn months.

It was when the first frost covered the cold earth that they finally found what Cyrille had been searching for. A small gathering of wolves. Etienne watched from a safe distance as his aunt approached and conversed with a few of their group. For the first time since he could remember, she looked ecstatic, but he couldn’t fathom why – not until she returned that night. Then she confessed that she would be joining the wolves they found come morning.

Lou protested first, claiming that she didn’t see why more mouths to feed could be beneficial. Cyrille quickly and sharply corrected her, stating simply that they weren’t going to be the ones feeding the wolves. This confused the youngsters, but before they could press further a deranged light entered Cyrille’s eyes – a sickening glee. At once she was gushing about how her life was finally done being miserable and she’d be free of their horrid ways. Etienne could hardly believe his ears as she ranted about how the pack agreed to take her in, and how life would be so much better from then on.

Cautiously Etienne asked if pack life would really be so great for them and watched in horror as her eyes grew cold.

*“It didn’t cross my mind to mention either of you. Maybe if you weren’t so wretched, I’d have taken you with me.”*

Until then Etienne had always thought his life was misery. But then, in that moment, he realized just how much misery treachery could bring.

Lou was the first to react. Her teeth were sinking into her own mother’s throat, and quickly silencing her forever. The old and sickly wolf didn’t stand a chance – even if her opponent was a young and malnourished juvenile. Etienne wanted no part of it, but realized he had no choice as soon as his cousin turned on him. Her eyes were glazed with a madness born of desperation, but still he tried to reason with her.

He claimed that they could find the pack tomorrow and explain that they wished to join. But little Lou was no longer listening. She spat that Cyrille had only asked them to make room for one wolf, and if that pack could only take one of them, then she would do anything she could to make sure it was her.

So Etienne ran. He ran deep into the forest hoping to lose her, but it was all in vain. Lou had always been the healthier of them. Thanks to Cyrille’s soft heart, Lou’s whines and bullying always saw that her portions were shared with her daughter. Etienne knew couldn’t take her, but he could out-wit her. He knew he had that much going for him. Thus, he quickly began leading her into his impromptu trap.

He led her up a steep hill he remembered passing the day prior. Thanks to his curiosity, he had peered over its top and found that it led to a sheer cliff with the forest floor impossibly far below it. It didn’t take much. Lou was too taken with her own madness to know what he was doing – to know that him standing there to face her was nothing more than a ruse. When she jumped for him, all he had to do was duck.

She didn’t scream, and Etienne didn’t want to waste his time to see if she died. He couldn’t find it in himself to care anymore. What he did care about was finding that pack. So, he did.

It wasn’t long to find them. They were waiting where he’d last saw them at dawn. Though they were surprised by his haggard appearance, he spared no detail as he recounted all that had brought him here. In return that they called themselves Mhorians, and that they followed a higher calling, and hence wanted more wolves to join their cause. How cruelly ironic that they sought numbers when his kin believed them to have space for only one.

Regardless, whether it was pity or mercy that swayed the wolves he spoke to, Etienne doesn’t know. All that he cared to know was that he was safe. He had a new home, and a new family. One that he’s been with ever since – helping them to settle their new home and find his home among them.

## Group History

He worked to get to know his packmates. He and Serren worked together to gather lichen for their packmates' nests, and Etienne thought it might be a good look for himself. He also thought he figured out a way to make nest-material-gathering easier for the future, by giving the lichen a place to grow.

Etienne learned a bit about herbs from Cahal, and decided to set his paws on the path to becoming a Cleric. She would become his mentor, and was happy to take the young male under her wing.

When the Mhorians enacted their Consecution, Etienne was delighted about the possibility of having a new family. He took the oath and joined the pack, eager to call himself a Mhorian.

Of course, like many of his packmates, he experienced visions. He didn't know what they meant, but within the vision, he kept relatively level-headed and pretended to know what the other wolves (he didn't know) were talking about.

Shortly after experiencing these visions, however, Etienne left the pack. Nobody knows what he truly witnessed, or if it led to him leaving the pack, but he has not been seen since.

## Trivia

* Etienne has extremely long, light-colored lashes.
* He is related to almost all of The-Moniklr's other characters! Muirgen is his grandmother, Caderyn is his grand-uncle, Pierrot is an uncle, and Bellamy is a first cousin once-removed! However, Etienne has not met any of these extended family members.

## Quotes

* "It’d bring me nothing but joy if our pack-mates sang praises of how soft and warm their nests were after this.” (to Serren, *How Many Wolves Does it Take...*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* The-Moniklr's deviantART Gallery