Hayes

Sheffield (Uncle)

Extensive Highvalley Kin

## Application Sheet

Hayes was a dark reddish-brown wolf with forest-green eyes. Originally a part of Highvalley, he elected to move to a pack in the west: Tentaka. He served in Tentaka as a Gamma Tora, before vanishing mysteriously from the pack, before its ultimate destruction in the eruption of Ascension Peak. He was created and RP'd by Flufferooni.

## Personality

* ***Loyal and Devout.*** Perhaps due to the love both his parents shared for a powerful sense of compromise and discipline in regards to any sort of relationship, once Hayes finds a place where his trust can be deposited, his loyalty to said being or organization will become unwavering; it makes the male slightly blind to other opinions, because of his strict and stubborn fixation with said organism. In his case, his loyalty is not only placed on Highvalley and its integrants, but on Rodwen as a King as well; he knew from a young age about the alliance formed between Altumvalley and Highvalley by the betrothal of Rodwen and Shardae, which was not a decision to be taken lightly. But, since the former was a reasonable and intelligent individual, in Hayes’ opinion, the offer was accepted. Due to do this, he thinks highly of his King and is completely supportive of his wishes. Lately, however, his personal desires have been getting in the way.
* ***Moral and Uptight***. Deeply concerned with the principles of right and wrong, as well as his fixation with honor, Hayes is constantly thinking about the correct behavior in different situations, making him a rather stiff individual when it comes to socializing; his constant doubting of his natural impulses and responses only affect his capability to develop a fluent conversation and interaction, causing the male to stutter and sometimes groan in thought. Furthermore, because he does not quite understand his own feelings nor does he comprehends others', he relies almost completely on what is to be expected to know how to act.
* ***Brooding***. Hayes always displays the appearance of being lost in grave thought, with a slightly dark aura surrounding him when he is alone; in a way, the male does find himself tormented by his thoughts, which revolve around different subjects that affect his self-esteem. The doubts regarding his own benevolence and purity often strike when he is not putting his mind into something, and they stir a lot of anguish within the wolf.
* ***Emotionally Clueless***. For some reason he is yet to comprehend, Hayes has a serious difficulty with reading others, giving the appearance of a tactless and thoughtless wolf; whereas, he is sincerely clueless as to what the other one is feeling, unless it is very obvious in their facial expressions, or it is expressed in words. Due to this, he doesn’t understand sarcasm. However, he wishes to understand and seeks social interaction, despite the insecurities this has sparked up in him.
* ***Pacifist (ironically).*** For someone who possesses a task that could very easily label him as a warrior or soldier, Hayes has a strange distaste towards confrontation; he will much rather avoid it and try to settle things a different way, rather than jumping head first into a discussion. He will only use his brute force when strictly necessary.

## Pre-Group History

Cromwell was born the younger brother of High King Sheffield, in a pack towards the east of the Domain known as Altumvalley; despite the fact he was not destined to be a heir, the wolf enjoyed all the commodities of being a royal, holding a respected position within his home. It didn't take long for him to marry under his brother's rule, finding love in a fellow Highblood, a beautiful female by the name Elinor. Since their pedigree would not be affected by said union, the King authorized it without a second blink; giving birth, one way or another, to Hayes. The male became a warrior of high ranking, only a few months before Altumvalley merged with an equally strong pack by the name of Highvalley and before Elinor gave birth. During the first few weeks of learning each other's cultures and understanding their new packmates, the soon-to-be mother encountered a lovely custom amongst females; it was common for them to name their children after an honorable former High King. Hayes.

As soon as the pup was born, the name was settled. He grew as a Highvalley wolf, but always returning to his roots through the presence of his uncle, who he looked up to immensely since the very beginning, admiring his strategic skills and his overall demeanor. Eventually, his father perished to old age, leaving his mother and himself behind; ever since, Hayes has had the conviction to look after Elinor, protecting her from any kind of damage, paying daily visits to the aging she-wolf. And just like his sire before him, he became a warrior, a Keeper, a lover of honor and a tremendously loyal wolf to his pack, devout completely to their well-being.

## Group History

Hayes was a constant presence in Highvalley, for most of his life, always a figure in the background of the pack's smooth running. He tried to be a stable and reliable wolf to his packmates, offering kindness to Vera in the aftermath of Ragnor's response to her betrothal to another. He assured her that she should not blame herself, for she had not led Ragnor to assume he had a chance to be her bride - right? She was much relieved by Hayes's reassurances.

Despite his care for his packmates, however, Hayes felt like something was missing. He left Highvalley, with the goal of 'finding himself'. He hoped to find *something* to care for aside from the great system of Highvalley. His travels took him towards the mountains in the west, and on the way, he met a wolf named Akuto. Feeling desperately uncertain of himself, he asked if she had ever felt a deep loneliness. Akuto supposed she had. He warned her that Highvalley was back in the direction she'd been traveling, and asked to accompany her where she was going, to feel less lonely. Akuto didn't mind.

He was among the founding members of Tentaka under Akuto's rule. He became a Tora - the Tentakan equivalent of a Keeper - and vowed to serve his new pack well. His packmates would come to take care of him in return. When an earthquake rattled the mountains, Hayes was trapped by rubble, and Reahla helped him to escape, before she ran off to find others. Hayes was grateful, and set out to see if anyone else needed help from *him.*

An aftershock, nearly a month later, opened up some new underground caverns and tunnels, and Akuto wanted to lead a patrol to explore them. Hayes offered to bring up the rear of the exploratory party, with Yuuzai, Reahla, and Chandra joining them. What they found on their journey was sobering: a cavern, filled with dozens of skeletons of wolves of all ages, preserved in time due to volcanic activity, ensconced in ash. Hayes supported the idea of making the cave a sacred place, a place to be revered, when Chandra suggested it.

A few months after the discovery of the cavern, Hayes vanished from Tentaka. Nobody was certain whether he was dead or alive, or whatever became of him, but he has not set foot in the Domain since.

## Trivia

* He generally uses other behavior to express emotions (tail ways, ear posture) and rarely uses his eyebrows to express his emotions.
* Hayes was named for one of Highvalley's ancient Kings - High King Rodwen's great-great-grandfather Hayes.

## Quotes

* "Maybe my packmates do not get lonely at all. I do not know. I was unaware of this… concept of being lonely until recently. But I… I guess I do feel lonely. Specially when I am not physically alone”. (to Akuto, *Confidante*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* Flufferooni's deviantART Gallery