Merrill

Adrian (Adoptive Father)

## Application Sheet

Merrill is a dark-furred she-wolf with green eyes, the adoptive daughter of Adrian of Aryn and a catalyst for Vektren's actions in the Aryn-Vektren War. She was kidnapped by Vektren, reeducated, and returned to her home pack by Hekate's plans, where Raphael desperately tried to help her recover. Ultimately, she (unwillingly) betrayed her packmates and led to the assassination of Alcatraz and Athena. She lived as a loner thenceforth, before she chose to leave the Domain. Merrill was created and RP'd by Halkuonn.

## Personality

* ***Resourceful but Innocuous.*** Merrill has a particular sharp wit and a tactical mind, being able to develop complex plans or dwell into very convoluted line of thinking even on such young age. However, she doesn't have any drop of evil on her, and often uses this brilliance for good-doings. It still is her wish to make this innate talent useful to her family and pack, specially after being introduced to Aryn's religion and lifestyle, even if not fully committed to it. She's not sure for how long she can keep this, given the current situation. When in danger, she'd rather not retaliate harmfully. At Vektren, she's never snapped against her re-educators or any pack member.
* ***Broken and Hollow.*** Merrill eats, speaks and moves only when there's an outside reasoning and motivation. She speaks slowly and softly, barely able to be heard, avoids staring to others directly and simply clearly wishes to be elsewhere or not to exist at all. Torn between clinging to the hope of breaking enclosure and just accepting such dreadful demise, the young she-wolf swings between sparkles of life and numbness constantly.
* ***Insecure, Downhearted, and Fearful.*** With her world shaken by unspeakable tragedy, most of Merrill's confidence towards the outside has vanished or greatly decreased. Faith is a new concept and she's afraid of exploring it, given the explanations behind the event that caused the destruction of her biological family. Towards Vektren's Gods, all she feels is complete fear. Merrill prefers to avoid holding too many hopes towards others, her own self or/and the future - a delicate shell she created to protect herself from further damage.
* ***Envious and Remorseful.*** With the lack of comprehension and the fear regarding religion, she's often wondering if she will ever be as successful as others do, or if she's actually any worth of it. Merrill holds a lingering wish to become the best she could ever get, to go back to her family in Aryn, but now more than ever doubts her own abilities and often dwells that diminish her self-esteem. She's deeply envious and even directs anger of and to those around her in Vektren that are clearly comfortable at home, since she herself is forcefully being restricted of it. Merrill is unsure what path of belief she should take, since remaining faithful at all has been a tough task. At the very core, she's terrified of Vektren's Gods powers and believes The One has forgotten her the moment she stepped inside the land of the Shunned Gods. Alas, she tries to rationalize both things but ends up just being eaten up in the waves of the dark side of religion.

## Pre-Group History

Though the beginning of Merrill's life was rather common, it was eventually scarred by a tragedy none in her family could ever foresee. Born to loner parents, she was a single child raised with a few cousins, a small family that was too short in numbers to stick around in the same place and protect it, keeping their lifestyle nomadic to guarantee the safety of the younglings. It wasn't exactly thrilling, but the young pup always managed to turn things into an adventure on her own. With a very imaginative mind, it was easy to make the simplest tasks become a full unexpected journey, and Merrill easily dragged her cousins along.

The family, roaming nearby the northern area, decided to bring the young ones to their first meeting with the sea before winter came and forced them to migrate down south to a warmer place. It was then when unexpected chaos roared from nearby. Oblivious to the mighty power of Havirian gods, whose borders they were close to, they got caught in the havoc that ensued after the meteorite hit the holy lands with full force. Even so far away from the impact point, the cloud of smoke and ash quickly seized the clan and they were dispersed. Merrill glued to her father during the calamity, and they sought to leave the mass of dark smog by following the river. Cormac was desperate to pursue his wife and family, but the old age combined with pollution took a tool on the wolf and he found himself quickly running out of time. With Merrill's safety in mind, he made it as far as possible from Havir by following the river before succumbing to taint in his lungs.

She remained with his corpse for a long time, hoping someone would eventually seek them and find her, but that was not the case. She was eventually discovered by a kind stranger, a brave and big reddish she-wolf whose name was Olega. She safeguarded and escorted Merrill to the borders of noble Aryn where she howled for aid. Merrill was told to sit and wait, watching helplessly as her savior disappeared in the shrubs never to be seen again, and her new life as Aryn's newest sheltered begun.

## Group History

She was warmly accepted by Adrian, who would thenceforth act as Merrill's father. She also had two packmates her own age, her adoptive cousins Pharah and Julia, the children of Adrian's brother Alexandro. When Alexandro and the girls' mother Charaka left, Pharah and Julia spent a great deal of time in Adrian's care, and Merrill grew very close to Julia, especially! Merrill viewed Julia practically like a sister! She'd also meet Raghaalr, who accidentally scared her silly one night when she went out in the dark!

Unfortunately, Julia would become busy learning how to be a Warden with some of the alpha's pups. So there were times that Merrill was alone, and had nobody to play with. She felt left out one day at Aryn's densite, feeling out of place, but fortunately, Raphael came along. Raph was all too familiar with feelings of isolation, and he decided to spend some time with her, sharing the story of Hannah, an ancient Arynian tale, with her. Merrill would forever hold the story of Hannah close to her heart.

As she grew a bit older, Merrill would look up to Seven, seeing her as a sister-figure. It was Seven who inspired her to pursue the path of a Courser. She was a late juvenile when she decided she was ready to try hunting big game for the first time. Seven and Adrian would go with her, along with a Ranger, Eden, to track the prey she'd be hunting. Three wolves who were staying as Honored Guests in the pack - Heel, Jerikoh, and Seraph - asked to accompany them, and it was agreed to.

What Merrill could never have known, was that the Honored Guests would become her kidnappers.

The wolves plunged into a bison herd to hunt one of the large beasts. Eden was knocked out, and Seraph grabbed Merrill while Jerikoh and Heel attacked Seven and Adrian. Though Athena sent a party of wolves to track Merrill down, the Vektreni were prepared for this, and sent their own party to fight them. They succeeded in evading the recapture of their quarry.

Merrill was thrown into the Reeducation Pits in Vektren's territory. Several wolves tried to speak to her, to try with compassion to win Merrill over as an ally - Hellion, Seraph, Klaus, and even Epione, the young daughter of the Mistress. However, Merrill refused to budge, clinging to her faith, to the belief her pack would find her...to the story of her brave heroine Hannah.

Hekate approached Merrill herself, warning her that a less-pleasant method of reeducation would have to happen, for Merrill had insulted Vektren's hospitality. They would bring her to another pit...one that was already occupied. Lord Cobra Janus was in this pit, undergoing his own terrifying transformation. He would *terrify* Merrill, threatening her with both his own actions and his ramblings about the terrifying powers of his own gods.

It ravaged Merrill's mind and her faith. She crumbled, boxed in with such a monster as Janus. After some time undergoing this treatment, she was ready to come out to the pack. The Vektreni welcomed her out of the pit, encouraging her, treating her quite well as she lived amongst them. She was shaken, hollowed-out, and...*lost.*

Hekate was quite cheerful the reeducation had gone successfully. She sent her daughter Persephone to help clean Merrill up after her exit from the pits, and ask about her faith. Merrill didn't feel *blessed*, like Persephone asked, but felt...as though she had *no faith.* She was utterly broken by the whole matter. Persephone assured her that she would feel the strength of Vektren for herself, if she embraced their gods.

After some time living amongst the Vektreni, as a servant - a Serf. One day, as Merrill put it, when they thought she was 'chained' enough (mentally), they stopped watching her, and she ran. She ran all the way back to Aryn, throwing herself at Raphael as soon as she saw him, desperate for his comfort.

Of course, this was part of Hekate's plan. They *wanted* her to go back. She'd been their prisoner for *seasons*, she'd been considered *dead* by her packmates. Her return was miraculous, and the nightmare...she believed it was over. But no - it had only just been put into motion.

Raphael tried to help her to feel the goodness of the One again, and to feel *safe* again, but she had given up her faith. *All* faith. She couldn't acknowledge the existence of the One without also acknowledging the existence of Vektren's shadowy Shunned Ones. Better, she thought, to believe in none of it. Still, she promised Raphael that she would *try.* At least to reassure *him.*

Merrill was plagued by nightmares at night, and was utterly exhausted during the day, haunted by the belief Vektren would find her. Raphael was at her side the entire time, reassuring her, comforting her, offering a sense of stability.

Most of her packmates were pleased that she was safe, and alive, but not all of them completely trusted her. There was some tension, but Raphael stuck by her side.

Poor Merrill's nightmares would return to her, however, one day when she and Raphael were out playing. They didn't realize Hekate was tracking them, watching from the shadows. She leapt out and pinned Raphael to the ground, and told Merrill not to scream, or she'd kill them both. Desperate to save Raphael, Merrill told her she'd bring Athena to Hekate - she'd give herself up for her son! Hekate allowed it...a part of the plan.

Merrill insisted on going with Athena, and Alcatraz and Adrian came along, too. They would overpower Hekate, outnumbering her four to one. Right? Only, crafty Hekate was one step ahead of them. She'd brought Janus, Hellion, and Nimh.

Merrill could only watch in horror as the battle unfolded. She was too well-conditioned to fear Janus and the Vektreni gods, she couldn't *move* as the Vektreni killed the alphas. When they claimed the hearts of Athena and Alcatraz, they were ready to return to Vektren. Raphael, in his agony, blamed Merrill for betraying them, and, well-conditioned, Merrill followed the Vektreni when Janus beckoned her. Raphael would never forgive her. She wasn't even sure *she* could forgive herself.

She'd betrayed Aryn.

What became of Merrill after these horrible events is unknown. She parted ways with the Vektreni, though whether she was permitted to leave, or snuck out, but she remained as a loner for a time, alone in the Domain, too ashamed to return to Aryn (who likely wouldn't have accepted her return). After living several months alone, however, Merrill departed the Domain, never to be seen again.

## Trivia

* Like her adoptive father Adrian, she enjoys cooler temperatures and rain.

## Quotes

* "It *is* hard to believe, but- I’ll keep trying doing that. It’s just that...you know when others say that there’s no stronger protection than a God’s? I don’t feel included, really. The Havirian Gods sent their own pack ablaze and my family with it. And then *here*, I mean- The One and all that? Why did things happen like this, then? Are the Shunned Ones stronger than the Great Spirit, then? Because I didn’t feel nor see any light at all while *there*. I don’t think I believe in anything anymore, unless it’s laid out clearly before my eyes. Silly, I know, otherwise I wouldn’t believe in the air I breathe or the wind- but it’s more complicated than that. I guess I’m just building defenses, you know. To believe in the One means I have to acknowledge… *them*, as well.” (explaining her crisis of faith, *Go With What Strength You Have*)

## External Links

* Official Application Sheet
* Halkuonn's deviantART Gallery