Hedge

Athena (Sister)

Kane, Mavis, Huginn, Muninn, Julia, Pharah, and Opeh (Grandchildren)

Storm, Lazarus, Teva, Raphael, Tzuriel, Killian, Nero, Hawthorn, Artemis, Imelda, Daenerys, and Dyana (Nephews and Nieces)

Ursuline, Barin, Cricket, Sozin, Phanuel, and Ezra (Great-Grandchildren)

## OOC Information

### Theme Song

"The World Ender" - Lord Huron"Am I Not Merciful?" - Hans Zimmer (Instrumental)

"You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"

## Application Sheet

Hedge was a dark-furred male wolf, a former Lord of Aryn, deposed by his younger sister Athena before she moved the pack to the Domain. He was the father of Adrian and Alexandro (and unknowingly, to Scout) and the uncle to Athena and Alcatraz's brood. He has numerous grandchildren and great-nieces and nephews as well. Bitter and vengeful, he made his return to the Domain and set into motion the wheels of the Blutwald-Aryn War. He was created and RP'd by WynBird.

## Personality

* ***Cold, Bitter, and Vengeful.*** Hedge has had twenty seasons or more to brood over all that was taken from him. He never achieved the greatness he believed he was destined for, and for five years Hedge nursed his hatred for Athena. In his mind, she took away his future. *She* is to blame for his family falling apart and the miserable state he now lives in: alone, sick, and waiting to die. Hedge's hatred extends well past Athena and on to all her kin - a bloodline he would wipe out for sheer spite if he could. Already much older than most wolves could hope to survive, this isn't exactly feasible, but Hedge still dreams about taking everything from Athena the way *she* took everything from him. He would like nothing more than to deny her the ones she loves, and send her into exile to live and die alone. His lust for power was ruined by the sting of losing everything he wanted out of life, and in the absence of victory, Hedge has become little more than a hateful, lonesome old hermit. Having lost all he cared about, Hedge's heart is hardened beyond hope. His vices are so deeply rooted that they have become his most defining traits, and the old Grizzly is indifferent to the pain this might cause others.
* ***Ambitious, Selfish, and Cunning.*** Despite his old age, Hedge's mind remains clear and sharp - if distorted by hate. He refuses to die and is quite cunning in keeping himself alive. He readily takes advantage of other loners, usually by chasing them away from their hard won kills. Despite his aged body, Hedge is a vicious opponent with years of training and hard lessons behind him. In his youth, Hedge was a talented politician. He utilized a strategic mind to great success, climbing the ranks of Old Aryn and obtaining the title of Lord for himself, before Athena usurped him.
* ***Dedicated and Protective.*** Hedge has never joined another pack since being exiled from Aryn. Loyalty to the clan was deeply ingrained into him when he was part of it, and though he despises his kin now, the idea that no other pack would be suitable home to him has remained in place. Possessive and protective, what Hedge considers to be his, he will defend with tooth and claw. Including family. Although he hasn't got any family anymore, Athena stole that from him, like everything else.

## Pre-Group History

Hedge was born to the prosperous Old Aryn pack. Even as a pup, his ambitions were clear. It did not surprise the pack when their Brother took up the study of Warden and pursued a life of political notoriety. Hedge was a talented spokesman, always knowing the right things to say to those in command. He worked his way up the ranks quickly, and there were none who would question his skill and dedication. He took a mate who shared many of his inclinations, and their love for one another could not be disputed. But Hedge had a darker side, a hunger for power that only grew more and more defining as he climbed his way to the Rah'at. It was never enough. He always needed more. And when the aging Lord of Aryn passed away, Hedge was quick to position himself as a successor. Being altogether above blame, and a prestigious packmate besides with friends in all tasks, Hedge was quickly elected as the next Lord of Aryn.

Power proved disastrous for Hedge. Now that his hold over Aryn was secure, he abandoned many of the careful games he used to play in order to curry favor, instead demanding appeasement by those "beneath" him. While it sparked the ire of many, Hedge was an accomplished Warden and not one to surrender his power. They had elected a tyrant, and for whatever reason, the One seemed disinclined to usurp the poor excuse for a Lord of Aryn.

Until Athena came of age. Hedge's younger sister, he had long been jealous of her pampered childhood, and the way Athena seemed to find allies at every turn despite apparently lacking the ruthless cunning he himself so coveted. And more than any other, she seemed to see him for who he really was. He hated it. Hedge recognized that Athena might be a threat to his rank and attempted to bait her out before she was old enough to fight him on even terms, to ensure that he would be victorious in a duel for Alphaship. She challenged him in the name of the One for his title as a mere juvenile, exactly as Hedge had hoped. This backfired, however, for even as a juvenile Athena outmatched him in wisdom, and defeated her brother through cunning.

Newly Lady of Aryn, Athena exiled her brother.

Taking his mate and newborns with him, Hedge left in disgrace.

Life as loners proved hard, neither he nor Lisbet had ever lived alone or reared children before, and trying to do both put a strain on their relationship that was too much for the young couple to endure. Eventually, Hedge's own bitterness and selfish motivations drove his mate away, and then his children. Deprived of all better influences, Hedge has had seasons upon seasons to grow cold and bitter towards the world, and to think of all the ways his sister betrayed him and destroyed his future.

## Group History

Hedge appeared in the Domain with a chip on his shoulder, at a time that really wasn't opportune for his Arynian relatives. At the start of what would prove a long, hard war, with many losses, they didn't *really* need to deal with Hedge. But he showed up anyway.

The first wolf he would encounter was Tzuriel, who confirmed his suspicions that Athena was still the leader of Aryn. He would wait for a chance to speak to his son, Adrian, who, after a bitter exchange, sent his father away. Hedge, outraged, found himself secluded in the swamp, where he met an old associate - Hekate of Vektren. He vented to her about Aryn's leadership, and Hekate, realizing that she had the tools necessary to do damage to Aryn, made a deal with the former alpha to see Aryn destroyed. After all, that was something she wanted, too. The deal was sealed.

In the meantime, Hedge found one of his kin at the border - one less familiar with him than his son Adrian. Dyana, still young and inexperienced, managed to go further from the territory than she intended, running into her uncle and not knowing it. For now, Hedge decided to play himself off as a good guy to Dyana, and the two actually strike up some sort of relationship? A sort of...not-quite friendship, but perhaps a sense of solidarity.

Unfortunately, Dyana would go too far beyond the borders, and would be taken by the Vektreni. Desperate to save his niece (and potentially...friend?), Hedge intercepted Hekate and Nimh as they prepared to sacrifice Dyana. He told them that Dyana was his secret informant, and she needed to be kept alive. Hekate was scornful, and protested this, but eventually surrendered Dyana, warning Hedge that interrupting the sacrifice to the gods would not go unpunished.

The alliance between Hedge and Vektren was thus strained.

After rescuing Dyana, bringing her back to her Arynian packmates, Hedge has not been seen since.

We do not know what happened to the old man. Did Hekate's gods cast the old Arynian alpha down for interrupting the sacrifice? Did he flee the Domain fearing Hekate's wrath? Did Vektren terminate their contract and kill him? Nobody truly knows. But it's believed that he's still out there, somewhere - perhaps he let go of his grudge and will leave Aryn alone.

...

Yeah, *right*. Only death would stop Hedge from returning to exact his revenge. The old man must be dead.

## Trivia

* Some gems written by Wyn on his application sheet are as follows:
	+ "Probably survives entirely off indiscriminate hatred and bitterness."
	+ "i hate everyone and I'm going to die alone. (Except maybe Dyana)."
	+ "Friends: no"
	+ "Enemies: Athena, Aryn, associates of Aryn, probably everyone else"
* Hedge is an old associate of Hekate's, before Vektren was reborn. He introduced Adrian and Hekate when Adrian was young.
* Hedge fully expected his youngest son, the runt, Alexandro, not to survive to adulthood - but he *did,* so take that old man!

## Quotes

* "You think you’ve found your calling, do you? You think that marmot den of a pack considers you *family?* *You are a fool!* They will turn on you soon enough. You cannot escape who you are, Adrian, and when they unravel whatever lies you told, you’ll learn how little *family* really means *to them*!" (to Adrian, *Lions and Sheep*)
* "I have betrayed nothing, you do yourself a disservice by suggesting so. Or did I hire mindless rabble instead of Senisteros’s chosen in entering our agreement? This girl has been my informant since we first agreed on terms. If she is not known to you, your memory is indeed lacking. She is *far* more valuable *alive."* (to Hekate, saving Dyana's life, *Serpents and Scapegoats*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* WynBird's deviantART Gallery