Daxius isn't at all what you'd expect, at first glance you see simply an ordinary Chimera, the son of the mighty Kheseus and elegant Cattaleya, with 5 other siblings, nothing special or unique really. But you would be entirely wrong, though he has a small stature Daxius hides a huge vat of knowledge behind his slight physique, and an incredible talent for strategics and hunting. However, if you dig a little deeper than that, you come to the heart of who Daxius is. And it is those traits and aspects that I'm going to show you in greater detail.
Gentle:First off would likely be the fact that he's an extremely gentle soul......when it comes to other Chimera's and particularly younger pups. In fighting, arguing, and when forced to fight against the Pantherberus he isn't really gentle anymore. Still, thats more or less besides the point, more important is the fact that he is a gentle soul with a deep love for others. Some would say he's a natural-born leader because of this. Which Dax likes to believe, since his father is the leader of the Chimera's and Daxius dreams of leading them one day as well. I suppose the only way to really show you all how his personality is gentle, would be to show you.
Daxius padded calmly along the steep slope of the mountain, his pelt blended in perfectly with the snow-dusted mountain, and the fact that he travelled up this mountain often, meant that he could do it now with little difficulty. An amused rumble slid out from the depths of his throat, he was remembering his puphood days, when just the thought of climbing the mountain they lived within was a daunting concept. Hard to believe they were the same pups who had snuggled up in a warm den with their mother, Cattaleya. Large now, and fully grown, his siblings and himself were now prime examples of what a healthy Chimera in its prime looked like. As the opening into the heart of the mountain appeared, Dax almost tripped over three little pups, staring with wide eyes out of the opening. In unison the trio sprang back when he nearly stepped on them, their eyes widening so far that Dax wondered if their little heads could disappear behind those eyes. Lowering his head he gently nudged one of the pups, his voice rumbling out with a honey-smooth tone. "Hello little ones. Taking a peek outside? Its a big world out there hmm? Your mother knows you're out here....right?" He tried hard to keep the amusement out of his baritone voice, knowing that the pups likely wouldn't appreciate that. Yet when two of the three cast guilty looks anywhere but at him, and the third shuffled his paws anxiously, Daxius knew he'd have an angry mother to deal with soon. Flashing a wolfish grin at the three he decided that he may as well settle down with them and keep them safely entertained. It was no doubt a wiser course of action than to leave them be to try and find their mother. No telling what sort of mischief they'd get into! With a grunt Daxius flopped onto the ground beside them, tongue lolling out good naturedly. "How would you like to hear a story?" The three pups, who had obviously been sure that the older Chimera would turn them in, whipped their heads up to look at him with perked ears. The boldest one nodded his head eagerly. "Yes please!" Settling in, Dax dipped his head and took in a deep breath, "Alright then. How about the time I decided to venture out on my own? When I was only a little older than you three? Even though my father Kheseus and my mother Cattaleya forbade it?" The three pups stared at him with wonder in their eyes, clearly they hadn't recognized him as their leader's son. Grinning impishly at their obvious approval for his story, Dax cleared his throat and began.
~*~
By the time Daxius had finished, the three pups were curled beside him, the boldest one tucked in the warm fur of his side, the other two snuggled against his back. Feeling utterly at peace, Dax let out a long canine yawn. Just at that moment though, when he was about to tuck his head between his paws and snooze for a bit, the sound of harried pawsteps greeted his ears. Lifting his head Dax swiveled with ears pricked to see who was coming. A female Chimera with a frantic look in her eyes rounded the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes widened and mouth fell open, a long pink tongue unfurling, as confusion, anger, relief, and exasperation warred for control of her expression. Finally though she let out a resigned sigh and tilted her head slightly. "Honestly Daxius, what are you doing? I've been looking for these three since sunhigh!" Her obvious angst made him wince guiltily, feeling partially responsible for her distress. "I didn't want to leave them to come find you, and they would undoubtedly have not been cooperative if I tried to force them. So I thought that sitting here with them was the wisest option till you found them...." His voice trailed off as he realized how ridiculous that probably sounded. The truth of the matter was, he adored pups, and longed for some of his own in the future. So borrowing this mother's little ones for a while had allowed him to imagine what it would be like. Smiling a little sadly at her he gently nosed the pups awake. "Your mother is here to take you home little ones." He rumbled gently. And amid sleepy yawns and droopy eyes, Dax and the female Chimera manged to get the three onto their feet. And with a tender smile Dax watched them go.
Determined:If there's one thing you can expect from Daxius without fail, its the fact that once he commits to something he will see it through, no mater how impossible it may seem. His determination is second to none, its one of the main reasons he has become such a talented hunter, and is capable of overcoming the problem of his smaller stature in a fight. Of course, this determination has caused him plenty of trouble in the past, but generally speaking its a good thing to be admired.
Daxius let out a soft yelp as he was thrown to the ground yet again, his father Kheseus stared at him with a mixture of frustration and sympathy. Angrily Dax shoved himself to his paws, the frustration he could handle, the sympathy he could not. Twirling on his father he spoke in a hostile, growling voice. "Again. Do it again." His father's ears twitched uncertainly, and after a long and uncomfortable pause he spoke again. "I'm not sure about this Dax. Some Chimera's just aren't built for fighting...and you're so much smaller than your brothers and sisters....and almost all the Chimera's here!" The dismay in his voice hurt Daxius, he knew his father wouldn't think any less of him for his inability, but the fact that his father didn't think he could do it.....that hurt him, more then he would ever admit. Turning his head away from his father, to hide the pain that glowed in his eyes, he only heard the soft world-weary sigh of his father, and the receding footsteps as he walked away. A sudden idea hit Dax, and his ears pricked forward thoughtfully as he pondered it, slowly his tail began to wag, yes, this was the way to go. He'd enlist his brother Akhilleus, to help him. Dax knew full well that Akhilleus would have no qualms about smacking him to the ground repeatedly, and that worked for Dax, since it would allow him to figure out how to utilize what assets he DID have, like speed and maneuverability.
~*~
Daxius shifted anxiously from paw to paw, the many months of training with Akhilleus had toughened him up, he was leaner, quicker, and stronger for it, though this next test would put into question whether any of it had been worth it. Yet even if it hadn't, Daxius knew that no matter what he would never give up until he succeeded. Lifting his head proudly, he watched as his father approached, Kheseus' pawsteps were heavy and uncertain, his eyes slightly troubled, and though Dax knew his father only was like that out of concern and love for him....it still hurt him slightly, that his father had so little faith in his ability to change and become better. Finally Kheseus came to a halt in front of his son, and the two eyed each other silently for a long moment, finally though, Kheseus spoke. "You're sure you want to do this son?" The reluctance in his voice made Dax's fur bristle irritably, "Yes I'm sure, me and Akhilleus have been training with each other, I am capable of fighting now, my smaller stature won't matter when I'm fighting, since I've developed techniques to help myself." Kheseus didn't say anything, but Daxius could feel the waves of uncertainty flowing from his father, biting back a snarl Dax pinned him with a flat stare, waiting for Kheseus to make a move. Finally it was clear that his father had come to a decision, lowering himself down, he flew with a snarl at Daxius, but the young male saw it coming with an expertly trained eye, and pushing himself low to the ground Dax sprang up the very instant that Kheseus would have been on top of him, knocking the older male off balance. This gave Daxius the opening he needed, and with a triumphant snarl he barreled into Kheseus at an angle, knowing that his own diminutive weight wouldn't have much of an effect if thrown directly at his father, true to form Kheseus wobbled for a moment in the air and then crashed down to earth.
For a long moment neither of them said anything, Daxius too elated and yet nervous to say anything, and Kheseus both stunned and speechless by his quick defeat. Finally though the Alpha male of the Chimera's hauled himself to his paws, and with an appraising, proud, and approving stare at his son, dipped his head.
"Well done Dax! Now....lets try that again shall we?"
Intelligent/Wise/Friendly:This isn't really a trait that's easy to put into words, or show in action. And many characters boast of a vast intelligence, when truthfully there isn't actually much to show for their so-called "intelligence". However Daxius isn't one of those fakers, who says he's intelligent but actually isn't. The difference is that he's not only smart, but he's wise, which essentially means that he can take the knowledge he has accumulated and put it into practice in a careful, logical, and pleasing manner. Hence, wisdom! I also added friendly into the mix, since it is an aspect of his personality as well, and fits in well with the other two, since all of them build off each other. But don't take my word for it, here's another little excerpt from the life of Daxius to give you clearer insight.
Thoughtfully Dax listened with a perked ear as the elderly Chimera across from him spoke, she was reciting stories to him, tales of Chimera leaders long passed, and the history of their species as a whole. It was fascinating really, and Dax found himself completely absorbed in listening to what she had to say about various things, it built onto what he had already learned about their history from his mother and father, not to mention any number of guards and Chimera's, each of which had had a fractured story to tell, part of the whole, but not enough to truly grasp what happened. It was like trying to see the world through a narrow tube, but slowly, as he spoke with more Chimera's, the gap that represented his knowledge was widening, and this elder in front of him, could potentially be the key to completing his vision of what happened the day the crystal came. When the elder finally finished telling her tale, Dax quietly excused himself, being sure to thank her profusely for her time. He could tell that the old Chimera was tired after all that talking, and he didn't want to keep her from her well earned rest.
Feeling excited with his new information, Dax trotted happily out of the mountain and into the open sky, climbing up a ways until he came to a flattened plateau, and it was here that he flopped down onto his belly and started to go over what he had heard in his mind. The sun was nearing the final stage of its journey to darkness, when Dax finally stirred. He had come to a troubling conclusion, and that was that the crystal caused more trouble than it helped. Before it had fallen from the sky, things had been peaceful, there had been no jealous and angry Pantherberus to deal with, yet the instant that Crystal touched ground, everything changed. Now our two races hated each other, with no reason really, and we protected the Crystal with our lives. Sighing softly I shook my head, wondering why no one had ever opposed the Crystal before, yet even to me it seemed a daunting task, one that I wasn't keen to take on, at least, not by myself.
It seemed like much, much later, when Daxius ran into the eldest pup, from the trio whom he had entertained with a story several moons ago. The youngster was already beginning to grow like a weed, and feeling slightly peeved Dax realized that it wouldn't be long before the little Chimera surpassed him in height. For his part, the younger Chimera seemed ecstatic to see him, and bounded up excitedly. "Daxius!!!!! Wow! I haven't ran into you since that day you told us a story!" Luminescent eyes gazed adoringly into Dax's own blue ones, and the excitement there inexplicably spread to the older Chimera. "What are you up to right now? If-if you don't mind me asking that is...." At least he has SOME manners. Dax thought to himself in amusement, more pleased than he would admit by the youngsters exuberance. "Oh nothing special, was just going to go see if I could help settle an argument my brother Akhilleus was having with a guard. But reflecting on it....I don't think that would be wise, Akhilleus is rather touchy. I never learned your name by the way." The last bit was added as an afterthought, though it also was a means of distracting the other male from getting too curious about Chili's business. Dax knew that his brother would eat him alive if this little ball of energy started butting in. Thankfully the distraction worked, and the other male puffed out his chest proudly. "Kree at your service!" He exclaimed dramatically. And with twinkling eyes Dax nudged him playfully with his shoulder. "Pleased to meet you Kree, be careful what you offer, I might take you up on that." The goodnatured twinkle in Kree's eyes at this, showed that he wasn't offended at what Daxius had said, and for his part, Dax found himself wondering and hoping that he might find a good friend in this younger Chimera.
Cautious:Years of having to watch his pawsteps an be careful have caused Daxius to become a very wary and careful Chimera. He never leaps before he thinks, and generally will plan out every possible outcome that might occur while pursuing whatever goals he has in mind. You can be completely sure that Daxius will notice the slightest approaching danger, his history having shaped him into a slightly paranoid creature who fears every unknown that he can't pin down. This causes some tension between him and other Chimera's, simply because its not always enjoyable to spend time with a creature that suspects everything uncertain of having some sort of ill-intent.
